Angola’s National Reconciliation Congress Opens With Calls for Justice, Forgiveness, and “love of neighbor”

Santiago, 06 November, 2025 / 9:43 PM

Angola’s National Reconciliation Congress has opened with appeals from the Catholic Church for a renewed national commitment to “justice, forgiveness, and love of neighbor” as essential foundations for lasting peace and unity.

In his address during the opening ceremony of the congress on Thursday, November 6, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) reaffirmed the Church’s dedication to peace and reconciliation.

“The Church continues to see peace as the greatest gift that God offers His people, and reconciliation as the essential path to healing the wounds of the nation and restoring fraternity among all Angolans,” Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba said during the event that was held at Victoria Garden Hotel in Luanda.

Archbishop Imbamba added, “Peace and reconciliation are not only political tasks, but above all spiritual and moral demands that call all citizens to co-responsibility.”

“Angola needs to rediscover itself, revisit its history, and renew its commitment to justice, forgiveness, and love of neighbor,” the Catholic Archbishop said.

The Local Ordinary of Angola’s Catholic Archdiocese of Saurimo noted that “national reconciliation is a continuous process that only bears fruit when it is born in the heart of each person and is expressed in concrete gestures of forgiveness and solidarity.”

“It is not enough to celebrate peace. It must be cultivated daily with actions that dignify the human person,” he said.

He explained that the November 6-9 congress aims to “provide an environment of mutual trust, enriching dialogue, welcoming tolerance, dignifying inclusion, renewing love, restorative justice, peacemaking forgiveness, and social friendship.” 

According to the Archbishop, CEAST wants to continue being “a space of confluence and encounter for all the living forces of the country, because without reconciliation there will be no development nor true citizenship.”

Organized by CEAST through its Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, the congress was originally slated for October 29–31. It was postponed to November 6–9 at the request of President João Lourenço, who expressed his desire to participate. It is part of activities marking the 5oth anniversary of Angola’s independence.

In his November 6 address, Archbishop Imbamba noted that the Church has been an unshakable pillar along the reconciliation journey “because it believes that without a spiritual and ethical dimension, the process of pacifying hearts will remain incomplete.”

“It is our mission to help heal resentments, disarm hearts, and promote fraternal reunion among brothers who for years were separated by conflicts and mistrust,” the Catholic Church leader added.

Archbishop Imbamba continued, “The Church never tires of being a bridge and a space for encounter, because it believes that the future of Angola depends on the communion of its children.”

He also spoke about the importance of national introspection, stating that Angola's 50 years of independence must be a time of reflection and renewal. 

“We must look at the past with clarity, recognize the mistakes committed, and project a future rooted in truth, ethics, and solidarity,” he said, and added, “This jubilee is more than a celebration. It is a call to national conversion.”

The CEAST President further said the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Angola’s independence, “should be a moment of spiritual and social restoration, an occasion to reaffirm our identity as a nation and as the people of God.”

“We need a new social pact, illuminated by faith and guided by fraternity, where every Angolan recognizes themselves as a builder of peace and the common good,” he said.