BLOOD SHED ON BEHALF OF YOICHI OKADA

This event took place in the Province of Bie on Sunday, January 13th, 2019.

It was the day scheduled for the Monthly Service of the Province and the members came from every corner of the region. When it was 6:00 am in the morning, a group of young people led by three former ministers of our World Messianic Church, namely Luyinduladio Eduardo Bedy Quiala, Adao Antonio Joao and Flavio dos Santos Cabuço, followers of Yoichi Okada, were present at the Regional Training Center of Bie. The person in charge, Joao Vemba Francisco, seeing their presence, blocked their entrance and instructed the guards to be on high alert. During this time the preparation for the service was taking place.

At 8:30 am these followers of Yoichi Okada entered our Center as if they were entering a fighting front. They came all prepared with the service booklets and teachings to hold their service, with the ultimate goal of taking possession of the Regional Center.

The members giving service at the liturgy immediately closed its doors, but Mr. Luyinduladio (known as Minister Belo) tried to force the door, shouting that he was the one who built that church, that he had given his very best for its construction and that that person in charge, Mr. Vemba, had never built anything there.

At 9:00 a.m., Mr. Cabuço and some young people handed out the practice of sonen and began to say it out loud. In response, the missionary Inoncencio Keita left the liturgy and asked Mr. Cabuço to leave from the Altar area. At that moment, some young followers of Yoichi Okada, among them Quintas, Bumba, David and Victor, began to push the missionary Inocencio Keita to outside the church and telling him to leave the premises and not get involved, because he did not participate in its construction and because he is not a person from the South, and called him a derogatory name “camundongo” of someone who comes from the North) demonstrating a sad stance of tribalism.

Other young followers of Yoichi Okada invaded the liturgy and reached the missionary Vemba, trying to forcefully remove him away from that room. Then a nonmember, seeing such aggression, decided to pick a gardening hoe and stayed at the liturgy door, to intimidate the aggressors, and shouted that whomever touched the missionary would be hit by the hoe.

A young follower of Yoichi Okada attempted to assault the missionary Vemba, so this nonmember reacted with the hoe, hitting the young fellow. The other young people followers of Yoichi Okada were then against this nonmember, and they attacked him, breaking vessels and cups in his head until he lost his senses. Due to God’s grace, the female members present there were able to assist him and took him to the hospital, where he got 13 stitches in his head.

When Mr. Quintas became aware of the level of confusion in the liturgy, seeing the blood on the floor, he took advantage of his position as a police officer, called the patrol who promptly came to the church, who then ordered the church to be closed, handcuffed and took the invaders plus the missionaries to the police station of Cuito.

But due to God’s grace, Who is the One actually in charge, when the testimonies of all were heard (by missionary Vemba, Luyinduladio, Cabuço, Inocencio Keita and Madalena), the police officers concluded that the followers of Yoichi Okada trespassed others’ property, so the members reaction was a legitimate one.

In despair, Mr. Luyinduladio and Mr. Cabuço tried to argue that they were the superiors of the missionaries Vemba and Keita, and began to accuse Reverend Claudio Pinheiro of being a robber. However, the police stated that this was not relevant, and that the fact is that they must respond to the aggressions they led in the Bie Province.

The situation became more and more complicated to their side. The inspector then met only with Quintas, for approximately 30 minutes, and asked him what the will of those present was – to close the case or proceed with it. Mr. Luyinduladio said that he would prefer to close the case and resolve it amicably, but the positioning of the missionary Vemba and his supporters was different. The case should proceed and the invaders and aggressors should be held accountable. Thus a lawsuit were opened.

Finally, the investigator said that if the followers of Yoichi Okada wanted to carry out their activities in the Province, they needed to be provided with of a letter of recommendation and a manifesto from the Ministry of Culture to authorize them.

Bumba and Quintas, in an arrogant fashion, still mentioned they wanted the church in Kunji, but the inspector, wisely, said that who should decide is the local pastor, who refused, and was supportive of Graça, our minister.

The inspector warned the followers of Yoichi Okada that if they trespass any one of our properties, they would be punished. Just then they left, reassuring they would return to Luanda and that they would not cause any more confusion.

WHAT WE WANT TO ASK MR. YOICHI OKADA IS THE FOLLOWING:

Is this the COMPLETELY NEW FAITH that you teach your followers? This faith that encourages one brother to attack the other in the name of God? That teaches you to invade houses of worship? That teaches the obstruction of and practice of faith, violating the religious freedom of who does not share the same belief as you? That causes religious intolerance? That encourages the thought that whoever does not follow “Yoichi Okada” does not deserve respect? In the name of Yoichi Okada, your followers invade and take possession of Johrei Centers and our farms that are properties of our Church in Africa.

From the beginning, your followers fearlessly have come threatening the physical integrity of the Meishu-sama’s followers who do not center their faith in you, Yoichi Okada. There are countless posts on Facebook with such threats.

We thought that leaders who represent a religion were promoters of peace and not of conflict and attacks like these that come being demonstrated by those who eagerly follow Mr. Yoichi Okada. We do not see such a reference in any of the Sacred Teachings of Meishu-sama, who teaches us to act daily by building the paradise and not creating more hell.

In Angola there are laws and whoever infringes them shall be punished. The legal actions will follow and they shall be jailed, because by hitting one of our followers in the head with vases and cups, one that acted in self-defense, aggravates the responsibility of such actions.

Mr. Yoichi Okada, all these atrocities are being committed in your name!

Atrocities to the point of blood being shed in one of our properties!

Our Church has existed in Angola since 1991 and had always had the respect of the government and society, but the posture of your followers is defaming the name of Messiah Meishu-sama and of our organization!

What is your purpose with all of this?

The only thing we want is to spread the Johrei and the teachings of the Messiah Meishu-sama in peace!

Is it so difficult for you and your followers to accept this?