Sunday, November 24, 2013

Angola: Cleric Worried About Persecution Against Catholic Church

The bishop of Luena Diocese, in the eastern Moxico Province, Jesus Tirso Blanco, on Sunday here appealed to Catholic faithful to have the gift of wisdom, aimed at dealing with the persecutions christians have faced in the last ten years.

In his sermon, the prelate said that in more than 2000 years of existence, the Catholic church has never suffered so much persecution, mainly from muslims and other wrong-doers, which has resulted in the destruction of its heritage and attacks on the faithful.

In view of this, the cleric recommended to the faithful to align themselves with the word of God, avoiding the temptation and deviation to bad paths, focusing, instead, on protecting and taking care of the church's heritage.

He also appealed to young faithful to increase their gift of charity through the sacraments they receive.

On the other hand, Tirso Blanco manifested his solidarity with the victims of the natural disaster in the Philippines and the victims of drought in the south of Angola, exhorting the faithful to pray for social well-being.

Finally, the Catholic cleric appealed for understanding in the negotiations taking place in the brother country of Mozambique to avoid a return to civil conflict.