Ten of the twelve bishops of the Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola have written to the acting primate, the Most Rev. Carlos Matsinhe demanding his resignation.
An emergency meeting of the House of Bishops has been scheduled for 14 Nov 2023 at the Anglican Center in Maputo with a single item on the agenda – that Archbishop Matsinhe resign due to his alleged involvement in voter fraud by the ruling FRELIMO partner in last month’s national elections.
The National Elections Commission (CNE), which is chaired by Archbishop Matsinhe, approved the returns from the 11 October 2023 national elections, which saw FRELIMO win 64 of the country’s 65 cities. The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, had controlled eight cities before the election and was projected to win majorities in Maputo, the capital, and either town councils. However, only one town, Beria, was not awarded to FRELIMO, and it was won by a third party – leaving RENAMO out of power across the country.
On 22 Oct 2023, the Anglican Council of Mozambique (CAM) appealed to the CNE to “observe the Electoral Law and practice the truth.”
The CAM letter, addressed Archbishop Matsinhe, the Anglican bishop of Lebombo, lamented the “possible interference” by outside bodies in the electoral process.
They called on “Mozambicans, voters and political actors to guide their conduct towards peace.”
“To the political parties, we call for the observance of the electoral law and use of the institutions of justice in cases they consider unjustified or illegal. We exhort you to do all you can to preserve peace and all you do, remembering that ‘blessed are the peacemakers because they will be called children of God’. (Matthew 5:9). We clarify that the CNE is an organ of the state and not of any religion or church, including Anglican”, the letter stated.
The bishops’ letter voiced concern over reports of “irregularities in the electoral process”, adding “The situations described above constitute for society a sad and worrying scenario for the country and for the world that aims to be where God is Lord”, they stated.
Aside from Archbishop Matsinhe, only the Bishop of Nampula, the Rt. Rev. Manuel Ernesto, did not sign the call for the archbishop’s resignation. The province’s internal politics also plays a part in the divide with Matsinhe and Ernesto backed by the Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba, while the other ten bishops are strong supporters of Global South Fellowship of Anglicans.
At the inauguration of the province and bishops’ training conference held in August, the General Secretary of the Anglican Consultative Council, Bishop Anthonly Poggo, urged the bishops to elect Bishop Ernesto as the next primate at the conclusion of Archbishop Matsinhe’s term – cementing the province into the orbit of the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, the senior bishop of Mozambique, the Rt. Rev. Vincente Msosa of Zambesia, the likely successor to Matsinhe, would upset that calculus.
