General

“Completely abandoned”: Catholic Bishop in Angola on state of roads in His Episcopal See

Bishop Estanislau Marques Chindekasse of Dundo Diocese in Angola has decried the poor state of roads in his Episcopal See, a situation he said has made the movement of goods and services in the region impossible.

In his October 15 homily during a pastoral visit to St. Anthony Cuílo Parish of Dundo Diocese, Bishop Chindekasse said, “I am very concerned about the situation of our roads. They are completely abandoned.”

The Angolan member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) added, “It took us four hours to travel 40 kilometers to reach Cuílo.”

“It’s impossible with logs crossing the road, it’s completely abandoned,” the Local Ordinary of Dundo further lamented, and urged the government to “take action to improve the road network in Angola.”

According to a World Bank report, around two-thirds (64%) of the total road network in Angola “is in poor or critical condition”.

“Angola’s quality of road infrastructure is ranked 136th out of 141 countries, based on the 2019 Global Competitiveness Page 5 4 Report. Angola’s score is 2.2 out of 7.0 and is one of the lowest in the Africa region,” the June 2020 report further indicated.

Bishop Chindekasse’s lamentations about the poor state of roads echo those of Bishop Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti of Angola’s Cabinda Diocese, who, in July, lamented the lack of “a decent road” in his Episcopal See despite the Province contributing “immense wealth” to the country’s economy.

“It is unfair that a province that has generated immense wealth for this country continues to walk in poverty, and cannot boast of a decent road,” Bishop Chissengueti said in his homily during his July 2 pastoral visit to St. Anthony Belize Parish of his Episcopal See.

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