A prominent Roman Catholic archbishop in Zimbabwe has called for mass street protests to force President Robert Mugabe from power. The Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, told a news conference in Harare that he was willing to stand in front of "blazing guns" if necessary. Scores of opposition activists have been arrested since police broke up a banned rally on 11 March in Harare. There is increasing discontent over the country's deepening economic crisis. Archbishop Ncube said that if Zimbabweans took to the streets in their thousands to demand that President Mugabe step down, the security forces would be powerless to stop them. "I am ready to stand in front," he said. "We must be ready to stand, even in front of blazing guns."