Luanda, 07 August, 2025 / 11:30 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) have called for nationwide “Masses of reparation” in the Southern African nation following the July 28-30 taxi drivers’ protests that left at least 30 people dead.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 4, CEAST members urge Catholics to participate in the liturgical observances across the country as a gesture of repentance, unity, and reconciliation.
“The situation we are currently experiencing in Angola is truly deplorable,” the Catholic Bishops lament in the message titled “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” drawn from the Gospel of John.
They say that the Masses of reparation are meant to be penitential and restorative in nature, adding, “CEAST calls for the participation of all Priests, pastoral agents, and faithful across Angola, so that these liturgical acts serve as a symbolic and communal sign of repentance and reconciliation.”
They express hope that the Masses will become “a moment of unity and reconciliation for the country,” strengthening the Church’s witness and renewing the faithful’s commitment to peace and justice, “especially during this time of collective mourning.”
