The Angolan Catholic bishops said today that a “culture of intimidation, generating fear and insubordination” is growing in the country.
They considered that the last elections helped them realize the “urgent need” to invest in republican institutions.
According to the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST), the fifth Angolan general elections, held on August 24, 2022, were an important event, which “despite the various perplexities,” allowed the government continuity to be maintained.
“But, at the same time, they helped realize the urgent need to invest in republican institutions that are above party interests and in the deep reform of the State,” they said in a statement regarding the opening of the I Plenary Assembly of CEAST, which began today in Luanda.
For the Catholic bishops, citizens’ civic and political awareness “fortunately grows day after day clamoring not for an Angola of militants, patriots committed and consistent, not for an Angola of intrigues, intolerant and elitists, but for an Angola of all and for all.”
The bishops call for an “inclusive Angola, welcoming and cultivating merit, competence, consensual dialogue and joy for all its sons and daughters and encouraging plural, cordial and fraternal coexistence.”
“Notwithstanding the difficulties inherent to the governing political world, we continue to nourish the hope of better days for our country,” they state.
In the message signed by the president of CEAST, José Manuel Imbamba, and presented to the press by the vice-president of the Episcopal Conference, Estanislau Marques Chindecasse, the prelates also welcome the efforts of the executive in the fight against poverty.
They praise the bet in the reconstruction and recovery of roads, mainly primary ones, the construction of schools, hospitals, and more structural undertakings.
Still, they warn about the “tension” that they say exists between the central and provincial works.
“These cause inertia and slowness in situations that require quick answers,” the bishops of CEAST point out, lamenting, however, the “worrying” situation of poverty in which many Angolan families find themselves.
“Despite the will expressed, the social picture of the country continues to inspire much care, and the poverty level of our families continues to be worrying,” they state.
According to a non-governmental organization Action for Rural Development and Environment (ADRA) report, the bishops state that Angolans living in the country’s most remote areas feel poverty “in an asphyxiating proportion.”
“Hence the vulnerability to which they are exposed before many charlatans and swindlers,” they emphasize.
They also criticize the “high rate” of unemployment, especially among young people, considering that the situation is causing many of them to flee to other parts of the world.
The “delinquency and violence are increasing due also to the use of psychoactive substances that are gradually gaining market, new corrupt and corruptors are being born postponing always the development of the country and the satisfaction of the citizens”, they point out.
They also warn that “the culture of intimidation is growing, generating fear and insubordination.”
They deplore that many children are outside the education system.
They also claim that the country’s health system “remains sick.”
“In short, the social structure continues to be unstructured, leading to violence, widespread addiction, and endemic injustices,” they add.
In the opinion of the bishops of CEAST, the solution to these problems requires the “involvement of all active forces in society, including the church”, and urges the “authentic reform of the State”, the inner renewal of all citizens, as well as the realization of the dream of municipalities.
“Strong schooling is necessary, from pre-school to higher education, with a focus on ethics and valuing the teacher’s figure,” they defend.
They also encourage the spirit of “permanent dialogue” with the associative and professional classes, aiming to find better ways of satisfaction and motivation.
They also consider that the State should “empower families” with what is necessary to guarantee dignity and social peace.
The self-sustainability of the Church in Angola, World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, and the Framework Agreement between the Holy See and the Angolan State, signed in 2019, are some topics under reflection in this plenary of CEAST, which extends until the next Thursday.
The work, which brings bishops from all the Angolan provinces and São Tomé, takes place at the bishops’ conference headquarters in the Angolan capital.
With information from RTP