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Sunday was very eventful in front of the parishes of the Catholic Church. The pastor wanted to open their churches, which had been closed since March, to fight coronavirus without permission from the government, which will reopen places of worship on October 30.
as reported from Libreville, Yves-Laurent Goma
In the 6th arrondissement of Libreville, Mireille Medza came to pray in her parish of Nzeng-Ayong. She is shocked by the strong police presence: “It’s really pathetic. To prevent the house of God from opening after six months of closure, the authorities have gone too far “
Stun grenade launch
In a statement, police acknowledged several arrests, but all people were released. Commander Alain Koumba Mouguengui, Commissioner for the Coast, explains why tear gas was fired in the courtyard of a parish in Oyem, Saint Charles Lwanga Church in the north: “Lack of respect for barriers and refusal to spread led to the use of a custom answer by throwing two stun grenades ”.
Sir. Ruffin Ngoubou, Vicar General, regrets what happened: “It is a shame. We only come to pray. You can not stop people from praying when you know that even when you have lost everything, it is still a legitimate right to talk to God. ”
Next Sunday, churches will be able to open, but priests are also demanding the withdrawal of restrictive measures introduced by the government.
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