Bishop denounces illegal occupation of Church land in Mozambique
Church property has been vandalized, while authorities have so far failed to act
Archbishop Inácio Saure of Nampula, Mozambique, held a press conference on Wednesday, 3 September, to denounce the illegal occupation of Church land by groups of citizens who have built houses on the territory.
The invaded land includes plots on which the female congregation of the Servants of Mary, two seminaries and the parish of St John the Baptist in Marrare are located. In at least one of the cases, a mosque has been built on the land adjacent to one of the seminaries.
According to information sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), in some cases property was destroyed and agricultural land was vandalised to facilitate the occupation. “They came and cut down many trees, and the wood was removed by truck. When we came to ask them to respect our private property they appeared with machetes and spears. They threatened us and told us they were going to demolish the seminary. They also took away our animals, that were raised by the seminarians,” says Archbishop Saure.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, authorities have taken no action. The issue has been ongoing for some time, and the Church has filed official complaints. On 16 May, a court ordered the provisional restitution of possession of the land to the Church, but five months later no practical action has taken place.
Archbishop Saure says that “officials who were sent there were chased away”, leading him to conclude that “there must be a very powerful invisible and untouchable hand encouraging the criminals”.
During the press conference the archbishop launched “a strong appeal, a call for help to all people of good will, in Nampula, in Mozambique and all over the world, because it seems that the law is worth nothing in this country”.
Justice must be served, the bishop demanded, “so that our rights are restored, because these are the rights of the poor, as the Church and its works are at the service of the poor. It is not fair that the Church’s goods should be stolen in this way.”
Father Benvindo Isaías de Jesus, director of the local Catholic Radio Encontro, says that the illegal occupations began a long time ago, but have become more intense since last year’s protests following elections in Mozambique, while Fr José Luzia, a missionary who has been in the country for almost six decades, tells ACN that there is suspicion among the faithful. “Some claim that the apparently organised occupation of Church land in Nampula could be related to the fact that Archbishop Inácio Saure has recently spoken out very critically about the social and political situation in the country,” says the missionary.
Regardless of the motivations behind the occupation of the land, there is an added concern that they may contribute to the worsening of interreligious relations in a country that is already suffering terribly from an Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado, just north of Nampula. “Most of those who spearhead the current occupations are Muslim. Once they have taken the land, the first thing they do is build a mosque,” says Fr Benvindo Isaías de Jesus.
ACN has worked closely with the Archdiocese of Nampula, and with the Church in Mozambique in general. The charity calls on all parties in Mozambique to uphold the rule of law and protect the legitimate rights of the Church, which works tirelessly to help the poorest all over the country, regardless of ethnic, religious or political affiliation.
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