Belmiro Chissengueti, who was speaking to Lusa in Cabinda, after the President's visit to the province, rejected the existence of negative reactions from members of the Executive to his messages, stressing that the bishops defend the homeland.
"This so-called atmosphere of tension between the Church and the State we do not feel it, this is an environment created in the minds of internet users, of people who think that criticizing a certain position of the Government is to be against the Government", he underlined, making the distinction between the world of social networks, where there is an extreme of positions, and what happens in reality.
"We (the Catholic bishops) want the greatest good of the Fatherland, the greatest good of the country. We do not want to be those who cowardly remain silent in the face of a rapidly deteriorating social situation", said the ecclesiastic, adding that it is the Church's mission to call the attention to what must be done and to prevent evils that can be eradicated.
"There was never any tension, I was never denied a meeting with the governor, on the contrary. We have a permanent dialogue, at the central level as well", guaranteed Belmiro Chissengueti.
However, "the fact that there is no tension does not mean that we agree with everything that is done, we call attention to what is not right", noted the bishop, also alluding to the motto of the present governance, which is to correct what is is bad and improve what is good.
Among the corrections to be made, he pointed out examples such as corruption, over-invoicing, poorly done works, low wages.
Asked if he has ever been pressured or criticized, he replied, laughing, that he must be "the most criticized".
"It doesn't warm or cool me, I'm used to living in this environment of controversy. The truth is that I say what I think, I'm not a sycophant who lives in the world of imagination, I live on realism", he stressed.
On whether the cult of the chief is still dominant in Angola, the bishop of Cabinda admitted that the existence of sycophants is not beneficial for the country's development.
"There are sycophants, we even have some with an academic title above the PhD who, in their eagerness to obtain political positions, economic benefits and advantages, still use people to the point that they do not have the ability or courage to recognize their faults and help improve ", he highlighted.
"These flatterers who worship the chief have an incredible capacity for transhumance. Not long ago they were for José Eduardo dos Santos, now for João Lourenço and it doesn't cost them anything to change to another personality cult, learn above all to listen to those who think differently and who often bring much more truth than sycophants", he advised.
He further stressed that while the sycophant "is only looking for an opportunity for his life", the bishops want "opportunities for everyone".
Therefore, he considered that the President "does well to meet with dissonant figures", more qualified to convey the reality of the country.
He appealed, on the other hand, to the valorization of the workforce, regardless of its origin, color or social condition "because it is this diversity that produces wealth".
For Belmiro Chissengueti, regionalism, nepotism, tribalism, "are diseases that do not allow development".
"It takes lucidity not to be the cause of our own misfortune. The great evil is to live on top of jewelry and go hungry."
Belmiro Chissengueti was ordained a bishop in Luanda by Dom Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias (current archbishop of Luanda and president of CEAST) and took office on October 7, 2018, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Cabinda.
He has become known for bluntly sharing his views on social media, but also for homilies devoted to social issues.
Last Thursday he was received in Cabinda by the President, João Lourenço, at a meeting where he expressed several concerns about that province in the north of Angola and of which he made a positive assessment.
