Catholic Bishop in Angola Decries “increase in crime” amid Socio-Economic Challenges

The 61-year-old Angolan Catholic Bishop, leader who started his Episcopal Ministry on July 23 following his appointment on May 4 further decried the economic challenges in “many” Angolan families, with parents lacking the means to educate their respective children.

“Today we find many families who make an effort to bring children into the world, but who can't afford to educate them,” he said.

Bishop Firmino further lamented, “Nobody is forced to die; you have to do something. What are you going to do? Steal and other things in order to survive?”

Amid socio-economic challenges, he said, “others resort to the practice of witchcraft because they believe that with witchcraft they can get what they want and thus free themselves from poverty and get everything they need to survive.”

Against this backdrop, Bishop Firmino challenged people of good will in Angola “to help rescue people who try to make a living from practices that are harmful to society, including witchcraft and drugs.”

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“We also need to help all these people, some who are delinquents and others who have fallen into drugs, others into witchcraft as a means of survival and others who are out at night and I don't know where they're going, so they need to be helped,” he said.

Bishop Firmino urged the Angolan government to “create job opportunities to keep young people busy so as to avoid crimes.”

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