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MAPUTO. – A Mozambican pastor has died after fasting for 40 days, in an attempt to copy what Jesus Christ is said to have done in the Bible.
The death of Francisco Barajah, the pastor and founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church in the central province of Manica, was confirmed on Wednesday.
He died while being treated at hospital in Beira where he was evacuated in critical condition.
After 25 days of fasting, he had lost a lot of weight to a point where he could not stand up, bathe or walk.
Days later, at the insistence of relatives and believers, the 39-year-old was taken to a hospital but attempts to bring him back to health were unsuccessful.
The local report of Barajah’s attempt to recreate the fast said he was foregoing water as well as food. The pastor, who also worked as a French school teacher, was said to have developed “severe anemia” and had internal organ damage, and was unable to digest food.
One of Barajah’s neighbors said the clergyman had become sick on the 25th day of his fast, but that his health became much worse on the 38th day. Medics reportedly attempted to rehydrate and nourish Barajah with liquid foods, but to no avail. – BBC.com
Online Reporter