Luanda - Bishop Valente Bizzerra Luís was elected, this Saturday, in an ordinary general assembly, leader of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) in Angola.
During the ceremony attended by several religious leaders and the state officials, the participants elected as vice president, Pedro da Ressurreição Garcia, as well as the secretary general, board members and the board of the Advisory Council.
With the election of the new leader, the church’s reform commission that was set up in November 2020 ends, giving way to the new members of the governing bodies of UCKG-Angola, as well as the amendment of the statutes of this religious institution.
Valente Bizzera Luís said that the new leadership of the church will deepen the implementation of social programmes for the benefit of communities, specifically education, academic and professional training.
To this end, Valente Bizzera Luís asked for the collaboration of society so that the church can erect a good structure in terms of human resources and physical structures to support and welcome the programmes.
UCKG-Angola is plunged into a deep crisis since June 2019, when pastors and bishops became involved in an intense exchange of accusations and physical attacks. Since the occurrence registered in several provinces of the country, the reform commission created on 24 June 2020 has taken control of dozens of temples.
At the time when the first sign of the crisis occurred, 320 pastors and bishops accused the former Brazilian partners of various irregularities and, from then on, the situation degenerated into an arm wrestling by the leadership of the UCKG in the country.
The new leader of UCKG Angola said that the turbulent days, which he hopes to be overcome with the election of the members of the new leadership, should serve, on the one hand, as a motivation for reconciliation between the children of Universal, on the other hand, to continue with the church reform process.
According to the church leader, freedom of thought and expression, respect for the dignity of the human person, faith, truth, mercy and justice must be the foundations of the actions of the members of the church.
To Valente Bizzerra Luís, it is important that the church continue to fulfill its spiritual and social role, in a deeper dimension, namely, in the spiritual aspect and to take the genuine gospel to the communities, without materialism and immediacy.
Restoring Legality
Since September 2020, the assets of UCKG-Angola have been under the management of the National Institute for Religious Affairs (INAR), due to the misunderstanding between Angolan and Brazilian pastors who are accused (the latter) of money laundering, tax fraud and criminal association.
By the way, the legal advisor of the IURD Angola case, David Mendes, affirms that, with the cessation of functions of the transitional group (reform commission) and the election of the new board, the legal conditions are created for the Public Prosecutor to agree to the reopening of the temples closed due to the crisis.
"There are two things to separate here: the church does not commit crime as an institution, but the members of the church who must be held criminally responsible," he said.
To the jurist, there is nothing to prevent the exercise of religious activity in Angola, which is why members of the UCKG- Angola can exercise this right, by having their temples back.
Crisis
Installed on November 28, 2019, with the release of a manifesto critical to the board of the church in Brazil, the conflict intensified in June 2020, when pastors and bishops became involved in an intense exchange of accusations and physical aggressions.
Since the occurrence, registered in several provinces of the country, the Management Commission has taken control of dozens of temples.
At the time when the first sign of the crisis occurred, 320 pastors and bishops accused the former Brazilian partners of various irregularities and, from then on, the situation degenerated.
Among the main factors of the conflict, according to the manifesto, the demand for the practice of vasectomy for Angolan pastors, forced abortions, racism, alienation of more than half of the church's assets, money laundering, and foreign exchange evasion are noteworthy.
The manifesto also denounces the falsification of the minutes of election of IURD's governing bodies, the issuing of powers of attorney with full powers to Brazilian citizens to exercise acts reserved for the general assembly.
The accusations also include the prohibition of pastors´ wives from having access to academic-scientific and technical-professional training, irregularities in the payment of social security and lack of a pastoral development project in specific theological training.
