A pastor in Mozambique has died after attempting to fast for 40 days to emulate Jesus Christ.
Francisco Barajah, founder of the Santa Trindade Evangelical Church, was bidding to emulate the feats of Christ detailed in the Bible, but he died in a hospital in the city of Beira.
According to the BBC, the 39-year-old was unable to stand after 25 days without food or water, and he was taken to hospital on the insistence of his family and followers.
He was diagnosed with acute anaemia and failure of his digestive organs, and doctors rehydrated Barajah with serums and attempted to introduce liquid foods; however, he could not be saved and he died on Wednesday (15 February).
Members of the Santa Trindade Church said Barajah – who was also a French teacher – regularly fasted, but never for such a prolonged period.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ fasts for 40 days in the desert, and people have previously made fatal attempts to replicate the fast.
In 2021, a man who thought fasting for 40 days and nights would result in God giving him a Lamborghini almost died after attempting the extreme fast.
The 27-year-old church youth leader from Bindura in central Zimbabwe took himself off to a mountainous area where he hid out so no one would try and attempt to make him eat.
