Police in Mozambique arrest priest for trying to raise man from the dead

After his inability to raise a man from the dead after convincing everyone he could, a priest is being held by the police in central Mozambique for disrespecting the dead.

A report by the BBC says the priest had arrived at the Chimoio provincial hospital, in the province of Manica, claiming that he was asked by the Holy Spirit to bring back to life his congregant who had died at the hospital.

He subsequently asked officials at the hospital to give him the body to enable him to perform the miracle. However, after two days of praying, the priest who is yet to be identified was not able the raise his congregant.

The family of the deceased said the turnout of events did not surprise them at all.

“The priest prayed and prayed again in the morgue. He shook the head of my deceased brother as he prayed. But no part of my brother’s dead body was moving. At turns, the priest shouted: ‘wake-up, wake-up, son of God!’

“We did not believe the priest’s intention would yield any positive effect. This is because he has not, at any time, proven to us his ability to make any dead person resuscitate,” a sister of the deceased was quoted by the BBC.

The latest development from Mozambique comes on the back of talks about the rise and fame of false prophets which have become a serious issue for African societies.

What is getting many people fuming now is the ridiculous behaviours being portrayed by some of these churches, where for instance congregants are asked to eat snakes, grass or drink petrol just to get closer to their Maker or have their problems solved.

Some of these pastors have also been accused of sexually abusing their congregants.

In South Africa, protests were held on the streets of Johannesburg this month against the rise in religious leaders claiming to be miracle workers.