Catholic Bishop in Angola Cautions against Disrespect, Gossip about Consecrated Persons

Caxito, 14 February, 2024 / 9:25 PM

Members of the Clergy and Consecrated persons deserve some respect from the faithful, Bishop Maurício Agostinho Camuto of Caxito Diocese in Angola has said.

In his homily during the final profession of five members of the Congregation of the Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Tutzing (OSB) in Angola, Bishop Camuto decried utterances and acts that show disrespect for the Clergy and women and men Religious, including gossiping about them.

“We often hear people say, ‘Oh, the Priest is also a man like the others’; or,  ‘The nun is also a woman like the other women!’ No. That's not true,” he said during the February 11 Eucharistic celebration at St. Monica Kikolo Parish of Caxito Diocese.

A member of the Clergy or a Consecrated person, he went on to say, “is not just any man or woman; he or she is a man or woman chosen by God.”

“Some even dare to say, ‘I could be a Priest’, or, ‘I could be a Nun if I wanted to’. No, you will never be a Priest or a Nun if you merely wanted to,” the Angolan member the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CSSp/Spiritans/Holy Ghost Fathers) said.

He continued, “You can only be a Priest or a Nun if you are called by God, if the Lord has called you to His heart and you have listened to His voice.”

Bishop Camuto said he found it regrettable that the Clergy and women and men Religious face situations of disrespect and are subjects of gossip. “We often lack respect for them, we often forget them, we gossip about them; it's a sin before God,” he said.  

Turning his attention to the five OSB members, who were making their perpetual profession, the Spiritan Bishop said that with the vow of obedience, they will not have the right “to choose, but rather to strive for obedience within the Congregation for better harmony.” 

Faith is fundamental for the Sisters taking the final vows, he further said, adding that they will need to be “firm in their journey in order to influence people towards conversion.”

Meanwhile, in a collective message, the five OSB members thanked the leadership of their Religious Order “for accepting us to be part of this great family.”

“To Sr. Catarina Mutango, our delegate Superior, and to all the (OSB) Sisters of the Angola Region and the Benedictine Order, our eternal gratitude,” they said during the February 11 event.