ICCPPC in Mozambique - august 2024

Contacts of the Secretary General ad interim of ICCPPC, Doris Schäfer, to Mozambique in August 2024.
Meeting with the head of prison chaplaincy in Mozambique - Visit to the women's section of a prison in Beira - Release of more than 70 prisoners through German donations

1. The visit to Don Antonio Perretta, head of the Catholic prison chaplaincy in Mozambique

Don Antonio is an Italian priest of the missionary community of Villaregia who discovered his passion for prisoners several years ago during a mission in the Ivory Coast. For some years now, he has been working as a prison chaplain in Mozambique, where he assists prisoners in the maximum security prison in the capital, Maputo.

From the beginning, he was struck by the fact that many prisoners had very long sentences and had to sit inactive in the courtyard in the sun all day. That is why he started an activity he called 'Workshop of Freedom'. He asked the prison for a room where a fixed group of prisoners could do manual work every day, read the Bible together, pray with each other and receive breakfast and dinner in addition to the only meal of the day. The conditions for participating in the group were that you wanted to start a new life, stay away from addictive substances and were willing to work on yourself.

When the first graduates of this workshop were released into freedom, they asked the priest for help for the time after their release. They had lost contact with their families, who often lived far away. So they were without a home or work.

In the Holy Year of Mercy in 2016, Father Antonio had the idea of founding and building a house of mercy for this reason. He was given a plot of land on the periphery of Maputo, where he began construction. Today, the house is like an oasis in the midst of its impoverished surroundings.

'I used to be more of an intellectual, but after founding this institution, I discovered other talents in myself. I started to learn about house construction, but also about agriculture and horticulture, as well as how to manage projects. In the beginning, I had to do everything alone. Today, I have trained many volunteers who support me in all areas.'

The house currently accommodates around 10 ex-prisoners and a few other prisoners who are able to fulfil their sentence in an alternative way. In addition, the priest is building another house for released juvenile offenders on an adjacent property. The young men currently living in the facility take care of a chicken farm, carry out repair work, or expand the house. They make many small handicrafts that they then sell in the neighbourhood or at the market. There is also a sewing school that residents of the neighbourhood are allowed to attend. The same applies to alphabetisation courses. Father Antonio is keen to maintain good relations with the neighbouring residents to prevent them from being afraid of the prisoners or spreading stories about them.

Next spring, Father Antonio is planning a national conference for Catholic prison chaplains, to which one priest and one volunteer from each diocese will come. He also has a dream for the Holy Year 2025: 'Pope Francis has suggested that the judiciary consider pardoning some prisoners in all countries of the world. My dream for Mozambique is that in the coming year at least 10 prisoners will be released in each diocese. If the judiciary does not pardon anyone, we want to at least pay the administrative fee for some who can be released on probation after serving half their sentence, so that they can actually be released. Perhaps prisoners or friends from Germany could help with this...

2. A visit to the women's section of the prison in Beira

Members of the Sant'Egidio community in Beira visit the women's section every Sunday morning. I was able to accompany them once in mid-August. There are currently 50 women detained there. They share two cells. However, the cells are not very large. At night, they all sleep on mats on the floor. Since both cells are hopelessly overcrowded, they all have to sleep huddled up close together. This makes it impossible to move, which is why every now and then during the night you can hear a signal that makes all the prisoners turn from one side to the other.

For our visit, all the women gathered in a covered area. Some had brought a few homemade percussion instruments. Immediately, one of the women began to sing loudly, the others joined in, and several women stood up to dance to the song.

After I was introduced as a special guest, all the prisoners also said their names and where they came from. There were also a few foreigners from Malawi and Lesotho. Then one of the visitors read a Bible passage and they talked about what it might mean.

When I told the women about my prison in Würzburg and reported that the prisoners of the Würzburg prison had collected money - each and every one 1 or 2 euros - the women were very moved. They immediately decided to write a letter to Würzburg.

3. freeing prisoners

When I told the prisoners at Würzburg prison that I would be flying to Mozambique this summer and might also visit a prison there, they wanted to do something good for the prisoners there. So we decided together to take up the 'Free Prisoners' project of the Sant'Egidio community. A notice with information was quickly put up in all the wards. The prisoners were able to request the cash office to pay me a small amount. The amounts were usually between one and five euros. But it was also possible to donate stamps to me. In the end, 250 euros were collected. Donations from volunteers or acquaintances of friends of mine topped up the amount. The money was intended for the prisoners in Beira, where friends of mine from the Sant'Egidio community regularly visit a prison, so that I had a contact and people I could trust.

In Beira, we were given a list of prisoners who had already served half of their sentence and, under Mozambican law, could be released on parole if they could pay a small administrative fee. This fee depends on the length of the sentence and other factors. For many, it is the equivalent of between 2 and 10 euros. Since there is no opportunity to work and earn money in Mozambique's prisons, many prisoners cannot pay this fee. My friends in Beira selected 70 prisoners who could be released during my visit and in the days following.

The first six prisoners were released during an official ceremony attended by the prison director, as well as the press and television. Everyone was particularly impressed that some of the donations came from prisoners in Germany. The social worker said to the director: 'It really touches my heart that German prisoners have come up with such a beautiful gesture!' When the inmates were handed their release certificates, they couldn't believe that they were allowed to leave the prison immediately with this paper in hand. They asked us several times, 'But does this really mean we can go now?' When they realised that we were getting ready to leave, they all suddenly ran to change and leave the institution with us. They were probably afraid that the certificates would be taken away from them again after our departure. We took them back to the city in the car. Since they had only found out about their release just before the ceremony began, their serious facial expressions only gradually relaxed during the drive. As they got out, they greeted us with a smile and a grateful bow.

Doris Schäfer, Secretary General ad interim of ICCPPC

>> Photopages of the visit