"This issue of the Universal Church here is an issue that affects the government and Brazilian society by the penetration that this church has and the political participation that it has [in Brazil], with a party that is the Republican Party, which represents the people of the Church," explained Hamilton Mourão, in an interview to the Lusa Agency, on the sidelines of the XIII Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), being held in Luanda.
"The Brazilian government would like a consensus to be reached between these two parties and that here the Angolan state receives the Brazilian parliamentary delegation that wants to come here to try to reach an agreement and a point where the differences that have occurred cool down," Mourão said.
The UCKG in Angola has split into two factions, with one part, of Angolan origin, contesting the Brazilian leadership. The Angolan government ended up recognizing the Angolan faction as the legitimate representative of the religious institution in the country, leading many Brazilian pastors and bishops to leave Angola, due to lack of visa renewal, and to the suspension of the operation of the evangelical television Record.
This internal division has created a problem "at the spiritual level," but also "at the political level," acknowledged the vice president.
For this reason, it is necessary to seek "a pacification, although it is not an issue" that directly involves the Brazilian government. It is a "more private matter," he concluded.
