The pastor had lost so much weight after 25 days he couldn’t stand up
A pastor has died after trying to fast for 40 days in an attempt to emulate what Christ is said to have done in the Bible.
Francisco Barajah, founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church in Mozambique, died at a hospital in the city of Beira, where he was evacuated in critical condition, the BBC reported.
The pastor, who was also a French teacher in the town of Messica in the central province of Manica, bordering Zimbabwe, was 39.
Just past the halfway point, at 25 days without food or water, Barajah had lost so much weight he could not stand up.
He was taken to hospital at the insistence of relatives and followers and was diagnosed with acute anaemia and failure of his digestive organs.
Barajah, the BBC reported, was rehydrated with serums and an attempt was made to introduce liquid foods, but it was too late and and he died Wednesday.
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 was confirmed on Wednesday.https://t.co/J9d59T0wm7 pic.twitter.com/1GWPdWUOLS
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) February 16, 2023
Francisco Barajah, the founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church and a French teacher in the town of Messica, had fasted for 25 days before he was rushed to hospital by his relatives and followers owing to his deteriorating health. pic.twitter.com/SR80WpAFUP
— Ebn Tv (@TvEbn) February 17, 2023
Members of the Santa Trindade Church said it was common for the pastor and his followers to fast, but not for that long.
The BBC said Barajah’s brother, Marques Manuel Barajah, acknowledged his sibling had fasted, but not not accept the medical diagnosis about his passing.
“The truth is that my brother suffered from low blood pressure,” he said.
Barajah 40-day fast attempt, as described in the Gospel of Matthew, is not the first, the broadcaster noted.
In 2015, a Zimbabwean man died after 30 days, local media said. In 2006, a British coroner found that a woman died half-way through a similar fast in London.
Related links:
- Anger as GMB guest says pregnant women are ‘lazy’ if they don’t wear makeup during labour
- Man dies after ‘absolutely brutal’ attack by chicken
- ‘My fiancé wants me to wear a red dress to our wedding because I’m not a virgin’
- OnlyFans model brands other mums ‘lazy’ for not returning to work ‘days after giving birth’ like her
- OnlyFans model says she’s turned to reality shows to find love because men don’t take her seriously
