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Make Fight against Hunger “an absolute priority”: Catholic Bishops in Angola to Government

CEAST spokesperson, Bishop Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti (center) during the September 28 press conference. Credit: ACI Africa

Members of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) are calling on the President João Lourenço-led government to address the challenge of hunger in Angola as a matter of “absolute priority”. 

Speaking at a press conference to conclude their September 24-28 Plenary Assembly in the Catholic Archdiocese of Luanda, CEAST spokesperson, Bishop Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti, described Angola’s economic situation as “precarious and degrading, with many families unable to afford basic food items.” 

“In a country marked by poverty, hunger, and underdevelopment, we advise our government to prioritize policies that reduce the cost of basic food items,” Bishop Chissengueti said during the September 28 press conference.

The Angolan Catholic Bishop emphasized the need to address the challenge of hunger “urgently”, noting that “nobody progresses or survives on an empty stomach.”

“The Angolan executive should make the fight against hunger an absolute priority in the implementation of state policies and programs,” the Local Ordinary of Cabinda Diocese in Angola said.

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He continued, “It is not news to anyone that robberies of cars carrying food have multiplied, which were not visible a short time ago. Many people are scavenging in rubbish dumps, trying to find the bare minimum they need to survive.”

The Angolan member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans/Holy Ghost Fathers/CSSp.) went on to lament, “The middle class itself, not to mention doctors, nurses and engineers, who used to maintain the social balance, are now more or less on the brink of poverty.”

“Wages no longer have the purchasing power to support those who work, not to mention the list of unemployed people in the country,” he further lamented.

Bishop Chissengueti called upon the relevant government authorities to prioritize “what is essential for its citizens.”   

The Spokesperson of CEAST said he was concerned about the growing number of children outside the formal education system and called on the government to invest in school inclusion.

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“There are thousands of children outside the school system. It's true and we know that in the previous Constitution children were an absolute priority. And we cannot build the future of the nation without the education of children,” Bishop Chissengueti said.

“The education of children is an imperative priority, because without it, you will be governed by untrained violent illiterates and that will be a great risk for the stability and future of the country,” the Bishop of Cabinda said.

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.