Equatorial Guinea outlaws two religious entities for breaching coronavirus restrictions

The Equatorial Guinean government has declared the religious groups Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) and Ministry of Liberation, Health and Prophecy illegal since last Sunday.

The goverment announced this drastic decision because these organizations did not comply with the confinement measures decreed in the African country, due to the coronavirus crisis.

“CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND LACK OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY”

According to the Information and Press Office of Equatorial Guinea, the decree signed by the president of the country, Teodoro Obiang, reported that these denominations would have held worship services on April 3 and 4, violating the measures of confinement.

“This reveals a total civil disobedience and lack of responsibility and social solidarity. With their actions they prove to be insensitive to the fate of the entire citizenry”, it says.

EXPULSION OF LEADERS AND FOREIGN PERSONNEL

The sanction includes the expulsion of the leaders and foreign personnel of those denominations as soon as possible and without the possibility of re-entering the country.

Equatorial Guinea started a state of alarm on March 31. Since then, it is not allowed to attend religious services, but religious ministers “could exercise their pastoral work in a closed session”.

However, the decree allows restaurants to remain open as long as “they maximise the measures of distance between people, cleanliness and hygiene”.

EVICTION OF A UCKG CHURCH IN MURCIA, SPAIN

In Europe, specifically Spain, the police had to evict the “Christian Aid Center” in the city of Murcia, which also belongs to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. They were holding a service on Palm Sunday, four weeks after all groups activities had been by the government.

According to the local newspaper La Opinión de Murcia, the police went to the neighborhood where the religious group was located, and evicted around thirty people who had gathered. The neighbors warned the police about the meeting. The authorithies identified those who were participating in the service, but no arrests were made.

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD) does not belong to the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE), the organisation that represents the evangelical churches before the Spanish government.