Guinea-Bissau consecrated to Immaculate Heart of Mary as bishops urge peace, dialogue & respect for rights after military seizes power & suspends election results
Newsroom (09/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a solemn act of faith amid political turmoil, the Catholic Church in Guinea-Bissau consecrated the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on December 6, with bishops urging citizens and leaders to choose dialogue, justice, and reconciliation following the military’s seizure of power last month.
The consecration ceremony, held at Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in the Bissau Diocese, came just ten days after army generals suspended the electoral process on November 26 and blocked the results of the November 23 presidential election. Citing an alleged destabilization plot involving politicians and drug traffickers, the military halted the official declaration of a winner in a contest both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and the opposition candidate had claimed victory in. General Horta Inta-a, head of the presidential guard, was sworn in as transitional leader, while Ilídio Vieira Té, a close ally of the former president, was named prime minister.
Presiding over the Mass, Bishop Víctor Luís Quematcha of the Diocese of Bafatá delivered a pointed homily that framed the consecration as both a spiritual response to crisis and a moral appeal to the nation’s political actors.
“Only through unity and commitment to justice and truth can we overcome the crisis and build a better future for all,” Bishop Quematcha told the congregation. “We must learn from the mistakes of the past, strengthen solidarity, and work together to protect the dignity and rights of all citizens.”
The Capuchin bishop was blunt about the country’s ills, declaring it “urgent to abandon violence, intolerance, and practices that erode trust among people.” He called for the promotion of justice and respect for human rights, insisting that every citizen has a role in “the reconstruction of the nation, caring for young people and encouraging the responsible participation of every citizen.”
In the formal act of consecration read aloud by Bishop Quematcha, the Church openly acknowledged Guinea-Bissau’s “times of instability and profound challenges,” listing political disputes, disrespect for the Constitution, violations of fundamental rights and freedoms, drug trafficking, corruption, and a breakdown of trust in human relationships. These “wounds,” the text stated, “dismantle the dream of peace and development and seriously affect the hopes of young people.”
Echoing a theme of personal and collective conversion, the bishop told worshippers, “Whoever refuses to look at himself remains a slave. The work of peace begins with the recognition of our faults.” He urged the faithful to “act with compassion and to strengthen the bonds of fraternity, keeping faith alive even in the face of adversity.”
The ceremony concluded with the nation formally entrusted to the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a gesture the Church described as a reaffirmation of trust in divine intercession amid uncertainty.
The consecration marks the latest chapter in Guinea-Bissau’s long history of political instability since independence from Portugal in 1974, a period that has seen multiple coups, attempted coups, and chronic institutional fragility. The Catholic Church, which claims the allegiance of roughly half the population, has frequently positioned itself as a moral voice calling for non-violence and constitutional order.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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