In December, the National Institute for Religious Affairs (INAR) recognized the legitimacy of the Angolan wing and confirmed Bishop Valente Bezerra Luís, of the IURD Reform Commission as a representative of the church of Brazilian origin in Angola.
Speaking to Lusa, IURD bishop Alberto Segunda challenges INAR's decision, considering that it is not this entity that has the competence to decide who is the leader of the sect in Angola.
"We were surprised by the announcement, INAR normally does not have the competence to say who the leader is and in this case neither called the two parties," he said.
Alberto Segunda also repudiated the attitudes of former bishops and pastors of the IURD "who have been committing various crimes", deploring the "passivity of the Angolan authorities" in the face of the situation.
"We have not yet been called and heard and we are being tried in a public square", he stressed.
In a statement about the protest, the IURD says that "the march will be peaceful" and expects "thousands of people", promising in the end a press conference to state their views on the latest developments in the conflict.
The act is organized "by the collective of workers, youth, members and sympathizers of the IURD", says the note signed by the vice president of the Church's board of directors, Bishop António Miguel Ferraz.
IURD Angola has been involved in several controversies, with reciprocal accusations between Brazilians' supporters and Angolan dissidents, regarding illegitimate practices and crimes such as money laundering and foreign exchange evasion that are being investigated by the judicial authorities.
Tensions intensified in June 2020 with the takeover of temples by the reformist wing, meanwhile constituted in a Commission for the Reform of Angolan Pastors, led by Bishop Valente Bezerra.
