RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro has chosen to engage in the internal dispute taking place within the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) in Angola. Since late June, Angolan pastors of the so-called “reformed commission” of the Universal Church have rebelled against the Brazilian administration linked to Bishop Edir Macedo and have seized some of the religious institution’s temples in the country.
Bolsonaro sent a letter to the President of Angola, João Manuel Lourenço, expressing “concern” about the “recent events” and calling for greater protection for the Brazilian Church members “in order to guarantee their material physical integrity and the restitution of property and housing”. “We believe it is necessary to prevent such events from happening again or being characterized as a consequence of ‘internal disputes,”, reads the text dated last Friday, July 11th, released on social media by Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro on Monday, July 13th.
The UCKG has some 500 pastors in Angola, 65 of whom are Brazilians.
VEJA disclosed in a report that, after being pressured by Edir Macedo, Itamaraty [Brazil’s Foreign Office] became personally involved in the impasse, with phone calls from Chancellor Ernesto Araújo to his counterpart in Angola, Téte António, and a Facebook post repudiating “incidents of violence and trespassing”. One of the most influential neo-Pentecostals in the evangelical milieu, Bishop Macedo has been a supporter of the Bolsonaro government since the 2018 election.
Since the feud came to light, the wing linked to Edir Macedo started attacking the unruly Angolans, accusing them of being led by pastors expelled for moral misconduct and violence, such as attacking and expelling Brazilians from their homes – a version that was corroborated in Bolsonaro’s letter. “Bearing in mind how much Angola values religious freedom and the actions of different denominations, within the framework of respect for the Angolan order, I am certain that you will favor my words,” wrote the President.
In turn, the dissident group of Universal accuses the church’s Brazilian management of a number of crimes, such as currency evasion, money laundering, imposition of vasectomy, racial discrimination, and finally, of hiring an armed militia to try to take back the invaded temples by force.
Since late last year, the Angolan Attorney General’s Office has been investigating the allegations but has not yet reached a verdict. There is also an ongoing procedure to confirm the registration of the Universal Church, which has been in the country for over 28 years.
Since the dispute began, the Universal leadership has criticized the Angolan authorities for not taking action against the rebellious pastors. Now, with the explicit support of the Bolsonaro government, they expect firm action against the dissidents.
Source: Veja