A Catholic catechist has spoken of his work ministering to people in Mozambique who’ve had family members kidnapped and beheaded by jihadists.
Islamist violence is a widely known danger for Christians in places just like the Middle East, Nigeria and, to a lesser extent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and even here persecution receives scant attention from politicians and secular media. Attention on Mozambique is much more scarce.
In fact, since 2017 the northern Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique has been suffering from the ISIS-affiliated group Ansar al-Sunna. Over 6,000 people have already been killed consequently of the insurgency, with one other 460,000 displaced.
In October no less than 20 Christians were killed and 1,300 homes were destroyed by coordinated attacks in Chiúre District. Two churches were also completely destroyed.
Adérito Benjamin Monteiro, 29, talking to Aid to the Church in Need, told of the hardships faced by the survivors, lots of whom live in Capo Delgado’s Ntele resettlement camp,
“These are individuals who have seen their sons, moms, husbands and relatives beheaded, and others kidnapped by jihadist groups. They were forced to desert every little thing, their homes, their farms, and all their possessions, they usually have been resettled here,” said Monteiro.
While conditions within the camp are removed from ideal, with food, water and medical care briefly supply, the settlement is home to St Anthony’s Chapel. The chapel is made out of natural and recycled materials, including old USAID bags. The chapel’s cross is just two large tree branches.
Monteiro said, “In the midst of the horror and the trauma, we seek to rekindle the flame of hope, that Christ lives, that Christ is with us.
“We don’t have enough manuals for the catechists, so the identical book shall be utilized by two or three of us. One uses it within the morning, the opposite within the afternoon. This is just considered one of the difficulties we face.”
Clergy are themselves also briefly supply, with Monteiro’s own parish covering 17 different areas, each of which having as many as five communities. Properly caring for all of them is practically unimaginable with limited numbers and resources.
It is catechists, or teachers, like Monteiro who try to fill this gap and supply parishioners with the spiritual care they need.
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