The series of theft and robbery in Catholic institutions in Malawi seems calculated at intimidating bishops who are angry with the poor performance of the Malawi Congress Party-MCP regime, which the church quietly backed during the fresh presidential election of 2020.
Catholic bishops were convinced by Saulos Chilima to support an alliance government but the bishops felt cheated after seeing Lazarus Chakwera’s broken promises, tribalism, unprecedented corruption and lack of economic direction.
The bishops have since resumed their position as a voice of the poor and taken a critical stand against Chakwera’s failed government which is oppressing Malawians economically and politically.
Weeks ago, some government officials tried to bribe and compromise the bishops by offering them police security to guard all major parishes and cathedrals. But the bishops refused to be compromised. MCP also wanted to use the police guards to monitor and spy on the bishops.
In response, there have been night attacks on prishes whose goal is more to intimidate than to steal.
In Mangochi, thieves stole holy Eucharist on 30 August 2021, compelling Bishop Montfort Sitima to wonder what the thieves would do with the emblems. Earlier this year, thieves broke into Thunga Parish in Thyolo and stole holy Eucharist and other small items.
This week, thieves broke into bishop’s house at Chikwawa Diocese headquarters where it is suspected, they were looking for Bishop Peter Musikuwa and Father Boloma. The two hid in separate rooms. The thieves went away food from the refrigerators.
The thieves also attacked a sister’s compound and went away with laptops and cash. The Chikwawa theft is a clear signal that bishops are no longer safe under MCP regime. The laptops were a cover up, the thieves wanted to attack the bishop.
In 1992, MCP also plotted to kill 7 Catholic bishops for criticizing MCP brutality and atrocities.
