Angola. IURD under fire

Dozens of temples taken, street clashes and armed men allegedly hired to kill Angolan pastors. The Angolan congregation of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD) is in a state of civil war, after accusations that church officials illegally sent foreign currency from the African country abroad and forced local pastors to do vasectomies. The IURD speaks of slander from the press and dissident pastors, accusing the latter of “criminal acts, verging on terrorism, in addition to the inaction of some competent authorities”, in a statement released on Facebook. The dissidents, on the other hand, assert that the church refused to negotiate, eventually leading to “a compulsion to recover Angolan heritage”. The words are from Dinis Bundo, identified with one of his spokesmen, in a telephone conversation with SOL.

The controversy is not new, but it has escalated in recent days. At the end of last year, it was learned that the Angolan Attorney General’s Office opened two investigations to the IURD: one to ascertain whether money was illegally sent abroad, the other for accusations of acts against the physical integrity of Angolan religious, such as forced vasectomy, according to reports RFI. The authorities have received complaints since January 2019, but they returned in November, in a manifesto signed by more than 300 Angolan pastors, led by Bishop Valente Bezerra Luiz, then vice president of the church in Angola.

At the time, still in the phase of finding evidence, the authorities even considered closing the activities of the IURD in Angola, if the allegations were proven. The IURD, on the other hand, said on French radio that it was “serene, awaiting the progress of the investigation process”: “So far it is unknown whether or not the church will be accused”.

* with Carlos Diogo Santos

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