The Denver Post

Mozambique church a refuge for Muslim cyclone survivors

- By Farai Mutsaka

P E MBA, MOZAMBIQU E » Next to a marble pulpit inside a Catholic church, a young Muslim girl chases around with other children.

The church has become a home for her and nearly 1,000 others from different faiths as they wait out the aftermath of Mozambique’s latest devastatin­g cyclone.

Situated in the heart of this predominan­tly Muslim but diverse city ravaged by Cyclone Kenneth, the Maria Auxiliador­a parish houses those displaced by the storm in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique’s northernmo­st province.

“We don’t ask about people’s religions; human life is all we value,” Father Ricardo Filipe Rosa Marques, the 41-year-old priest in charge, told The Associated Press.

The government has said 41 people have died after the cyclone made landfall Thursday, and the humanitari­an situation in Pemba and other areas is dire. More than 22 inches of rain have fallen in Pemba since Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique.

This is the first time two cyclones have struck the country in a single season, and Kenneth was the first cyclone recorded so far north in Mozambique in the era of satellite imaging.

The danger is not over. More rain was expected and rivers were expected to reach flood stage by Thursday, the United Nations humanitari­an office has said, citing a U.K. aid analysis. It is the end of the rainy season, and rivers already were running high.

Shelter is a top priority for most cyclone survivors and this is what the church is providing, promoting itself as a safe space even before the storm.

In a region where little-known Islamic militants have reportedly killed dozens of people in recent months, a certain amount of tension might be expected. But for some, what matters most is shelter.

“I had never been in a church before ... but as long as I am safe I don’t mind,” said Aamilah Felciano, who is Muslim. “It doesn’t mean I have abandoned my faith. I am just saving my life.”

The church has suspended Mass and other routine programs. There is no space or time for such activities, the priest said.

“There can be no better Mass than giving people shelter and hope. That is the church’s mission,” he said.

Women and children have taken up residence inside the main hall. The few belongings they could carry as they fled, mainly clothing and plastic buckets, are tucked close by.

Children climb over the pulpit and the priest’s chair, playing. In one corner a woman breastfeed­s her baby. Church pews have been turned into washing lines. Outside, shielded from the pounding rains, girls and boys take turns stirring huge pots of rice and soup.

As nightfall approaches, people prepare reed mats or pieces of cloth. Some will sleep on the bare floor. Men sleep on the hall’s balcony.

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