Council says group using church to cause trouble

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The PNG Council of Churches (PNGCC) has condemned the actions of a group of women using the name of a church to incite violence in the Highlands.
General secretary Rev Roger Joseph, pictured, strongly condemned the actions of this so called “women’s prayer group”.
“It has come to our attention that there is a group of women in the Highlands claiming to be from a particular church group and have formed a prayer group,” he said.
“Upon invitation, these women move to family homes to pray over the family.
“During these prayers, the intercessors become ‘filled by the Spirit’ (as they call it) and start to accuse another woman of practicing sorcery.
“The women are then paid some sums of money, gifted with foodstuff and leave.
“The innocent mother becomes the target of abuse and assault after that.”
Joseph said there was now a shift from the “glasman” to “prayer groups” to identify alleged sorcerers.
“Any prayer group or women practicing divination on behalf of any church, and provoking violence and further receiving foodstuff and money as forms of payment, are abusing church practices and must be condemned in the very strongest sense,” he said.
“These groups or woman should be identified as replicas of the ‘glasman’ and should be referred to the police for prosecution.”
Joseph said the churches and Government were jointly working together to eradicate sorcery accusation-related violence.
He said any woman or group of women who were praying and identifying innocent people as practitioners of sorcery must be arrested.