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Angola’s Political, Civil Leaders “must set an example of service”: Catholic Bishop Emphasizes Patriotism

Bishop Maurício Agostinho Camuto of Caxito Diocese in Angola. Credit: Radio Ecclesia

Angola’s political leaders and civil servants need to take their responsibilities before the people seriously, prioritizing dutiful service, Bishop Maurício Agostinho Camuto of the country’s Catholic Diocese of Caxito has said. 

In his May 5 homily at St. Joseph Ambriz Parish of his Episcopal See, Bishop Camuto said, “Our leaders must set an example of service, of reconciliation, of putting their lives at the service of society, of the community.”

He added, “As Pope Benedict XVI said, politics is the sublime art of charity, of loving. It's putting your life at the service of others. It is a path to holiness. The politician who carries out his function well, his ministry, is on the road to holiness.”

The Angolan member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans/Holy Ghost Fathers) underscored the need for Angola’s political and civil leaders to exercise integrity accomplishing their respective duties with “greater responsibility and a patriotic sense, and not to use what belongs to everyone for personal gain.”

“You are responsible. You must do your job well and be on the path to holiness,” Bishop Camuto emphasized, and added, “Christians must pray for our authorities to do their job well, because it is from our work and their sacrifice that we can live well.”

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In his homily, the Local Ordinary of Caxito Diocese expressed concern about absenteeism on the part of a section of teachers. He lamented, “Many teachers don't even teach. They go one day and even a week without teaching, thus harming the children.”

“The government pays you to do your job well. Try to do your job well, because you are harming not those children, but the country. You're harming the country when you don't do your job. It doesn't look good,” the Catholic Church leader, who has been at the helm of Caxito Diocese since he started his Episcopal Ministry in August 2020 further lamented.

Turning his attention to parents, the Catholic Bishop  called for parental care and monitoring to ensure their children pursue formation education. 

“There are parents who don't even pay attention to their children. They don't check whether their children went to school or not, whether they learned anything or not, whether the teacher came or not,” he said.

He advocated for collective responsibility in the education of children, saying, “Today we talk about an educational community that includes the school, the family, the teachers and the students. Everyone is responsible for the children's growth.” 

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Collective responsibility, Bishop Camuto said, is “important, because if we don't have well-formed children today, we won't have a better future – neither families nor society.”

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