Hope for Reopening of Churches in Mozambique as Religious Leaders Meet President

Speaking to journalists, Helena Kida who represented the Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs at the meeting explained that religious leaders in the country wanted the same treatment as that in education, where classes are set to resume under certain conditions.

“What religious leaders propose is equal treatment with other activities that have already seen some relaxation. Part of this is to do with the need to limit, for example, the number of participants per event,” she said.

President Nyusi, on June 29, banned the holding of “collective religious services and celebrations,” noting that the celebrations were possible transmission spots for the coronavirus “because they are carried out indoors.”

The decree has been highly contested in the country, with many questioning the logic behind banning public worship while allowing learning in classrooms.

“Just as schools are opening, religious activities should be allowed to resume,” said Fr. Nelson Bernardo Covete in an interview with ACI Africa correspondent following the contested Presidential declarations.

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According to Ms. Kida, considerations will be put in place in future engagements between the religious leaders and the State to chart a safe path towards reopening of places of worship considering the limitations of faith-based gatherings.

Such limitations, she said, include spacing challenges where some places of worship are smaller than others and the different age groups represented in the religious gatherings where the young mingle with vulnerable elderly persons.

"Tomorrow (July 2nd) we will have a meeting between the Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs and religious leaders and am I am sure we shall have a mature discussion,” the official from Mozambique’s Ministry of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs said.