RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The bishops, two of them Angolan and the other Brazilian, were arrested by the authorities and tried in the Benfica district, in the municipality of Belas. They are said to be linked to the institution’s leadership, which is experiencing a serious crisis in the African country since part of the local pastors and bishops broke with the Brazilian matrix.
According to ‘O País’ newspaper, the bishops arrested and sentenced are the Angolan Antonio Ferraz and José Caquinda, and Brazilian José Rocha. Another Brazilian, identified as Pastor Roberto dos Santos, was charged with attacking a police officer with punches and kicks, but fled the scene where the disturbance occurred and has not yet been located.
A third Angolan, identified as Bishop João Mário, was arrested and tried, but was acquitted. The others were sentenced to 45 days in prison, which was later converted into fines of 280 kwanzas each (US$350).
The disturbance that resulted in the conviction involves an Angolan pastor allied to the insurgent group, who allegedly tried to enter the house where he lived with his wife and son, in a condominium owned by the Universal Church, but was prevented from doing so by religious faithful to the institution’s matrix. During the disturbance, he called the police, and the Brazilian pastors, who believed that the police officers were defending the insurgents, began to attack them.