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“Love people while they are alive”: Catholic Bishop in Angola Faults Lavish Funerals, Calls for Solidarity with the Sick

João Vissesse

By João Vissesse

Cabinda, 12 February, 2025 / 8:47 pm (ACI Africa).

Bishop Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti of Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Cabinda has urged the people of God to show love and solidarity to people while they are alive, rather than waiting until their death to express extravagance.

In his February 10 homily at the St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus Parish of his Episcopal See, Bishop Chissengueti lamented the widespread neglect of the sick and elderly, who he said often receive no support from their families but are later honored with costly burials.

“The sick person who is alive, who can recognize people, receives no visits, no help from anyone—not from their children, not from their siblings, not from those they once helped,” the Angolan Catholic Bishop said.

He added, “Everyone waits for them to die so they can organize a wake and a funeral, which become mere celebrations where people gather, eat, and drink. Yet, during the person’s illness, they refused to spend money on their treatment.”

“Let us use intelligence in faith. Love people while they are alive, especially our parents. Show solidarity while they can appreciate it,” Bishop Chissengueti said.

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The Angolan-born member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans/Holy Ghost Fathers/CSSp.) emphasized that true solidarity is about supporting individuals when they are in need. 

“Solidarity is about restoring health; it is about love that the sick can see, because that is when they need it most. Solidarity is what can save a person’s life,” he said.

The Catholic Church leader urged families to care for their aging parents, ensuring they live in dignity. 

“Those of you who have elderly parents in the villages, the best thing you can do is visit them, build them a proper house, buy them a comfortable bed while they are alive. Do not wait for them to die to buy them an expensive coffin, which they will never see,” he said.

Bishop Chissengueti cautioned against the misplaced priorities of some Christians, stating that many elderly parents die feeling abandoned and frustrated.

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 “Many of our parents fed and cared for five, ten, even twelve children and grandchildren, yet these same children cannot take care of their own parents in old age,” he said.

Bishop Chissengueti also condemned the excessive time spent on funeral gatherings, which he described as “wasteful and harmful.”

 “The spirit of laziness surrounds us. We lose so much time on the dead, and that is why we are not moving forward,” he said.

He added, “For every funeral you attend, where you spend two or three nights without sleep, another five or six people will die because they return home with high blood pressure. Another funeral follows because people do not take care of themselves.”

Reflecting on his personal experience, Bishop Chissengueti shared, “In my life, I have only spent the night at two funerals because I had no choice. I did not stay overnight at my father’s funeral, nor at my mother’s. Some may say I did not love them, but I did—and very much.”

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He challenged the people of God to rethink their priorities, saying, “Why should I stand outside, exposed to mosquitoes, dust, and cold, while the deceased is in the morgue? That makes no sense.”

He urged Christians to express their love and compassion in meaningful ways during life, rather than in extravagant funerals that provide no comfort to the deceased.

João Vissesse

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