Bishop denounces rise in criminality in Mozambique, as religious sisters attacked
This is not the first time a religious home has been violently attacked in the African country, which is still dealing with a violent insurgency in the north.
The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Mozambique has denounced an “exponential rise” in criminality in the country, following an attack on the house of a group of religious sisters in the Archdiocese of Nampula.
The attack occurred on 8 August, in Mecuburi. Shortly after midnight the criminals scaled the walls of the house and entered the building, which also serves as a home for young girls.
During the ordeal two religious sisters were physically assaulted and had to receive medical attention. A security guard was also beaten with extreme violence, and is in hospital in critical condition, according to Archbishop Inácio Saure, who is also the president of the bishops’ conference.
In a message sent to pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), shortly after the crime, the archbishop said that the two assaulted sisters, both Kenyan, are now residing with a community of religious in Nampula.
He added that, despite rumours to the contrary, none of the religious sisters was sexually assaulted.
“It is not the time to make significant statements on the issue, but criminality is increasing exponentially in Nampula and in the country in general,” the Archbishop told ACN.
This break-in follows a similar case just over a year ago, in June, in the Diocese of Pemba. Then a group of 18 criminals broke into the house of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, armed with machetes, iron bars and weapons. The group overpowered the guards and stole computers, cell phones and what little money the sisters had. The armed bandits then took the sisters into the chapel and threatened to behead one of them, and setting fire to the building with the rest locked inside, but relented and left.
More recently, somebody broke into the residence of the bishop of Quelimane and shot the bishop dead. A priest, a guard and the gardener have been arrested by the police, but the crime remains unsolved, and Pope Leo recently wrote to the President of Mozambique asking for explanations.
At the same time, the Diocese of Pemba, which covers the province of Cabo Delgado, in the north, remains embroiled in an armed insurgency carried out by jihadists. The conflict has caused at least 6,300 deaths and 1.2 million internally displaced. Dozens of churches and Church-owned buildings have been attacked and set on fire. At least one catechist and one religious sister, the Italian Maria Coppi, were murdered.
ACN has several projects in Mozambique, and has been helping the local Church handle the crisis in Cabo Delgado for several years.
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