Catholic Church in Mozambique

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Beira Cathedral Se da Beira.jpg
Beira Cathedral

The Catholic Church in Mozambique is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.

Contents

There are over 8.54 million Catholics in Mozambique, [1] 27% of the population. [2] The country is divided into 13 dioceses including three archdioceses.

The first mission was started by Portuguese Franciscans in 1500. [3]

In September 2022, ISIS-M attacked a Catholic mission in Nampula, killing an elderly missionary and burning down several structures. [4] [5]

Dioceses

Ecclesiastical province of Beira

Ecclesiastical province of Maputo

Ecclesiastical province of Nampula

Church-State relations

Catholicism is the largest religion in Mozambique, but relations with the state have not always been easy. Following independence, in 1975, the Marxist FRELIMO-led government was hostile to the Church. The Catholic Church's role, through the Sant'Egidio movement, in ending the Mozambican Civil War improved the Church's standing, but according to Archbishop Inácio Saure, of Nampula, there is still room for improvement.

"“We used to have open war against the Church, but that doesn’t exist anymore. However, the current context leaves much to be desired. A preliminary agreement was signed between the Holy See and the Mozambican Government in 2011 [6] , but the actual implementation is a very, very distant reality”, he told The Pillar, in September 2025. [7]

The archbishop added that although religious freedom exists in theory, "there is more to religious liberty than simply being allowed to pray in your church or your mosque. When you can really live your faith, and get involved in social issues, that is real religious liberty". [7]

Archbishop Saure has been critical of the Government's response to social unrest and to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, and admitted that this could be risky. "I have been warned, I’ve been told that my words are not being well received, even though I’ve never directly criticized a party, or the government. But I do feel obliged to speak the truth. Am I going to have to pay a price for that? I don’t know. But unfortunately, those who raise their voices are often silenced", he said. [7]

The archbishop complained of illegal occupation of Church lands in Nampula, a fact that some voices in the Church believe is being carried out with the complicity of the Government, as retaliation for his outspokenness. [8]

In 2021 the former bishop of Pemba, Luiz Fernando Lisboa, admitted to having been removed from his post by Pope Francis, and sent back to his native Brazil, because he was being threatened by the Government over his criticism on the handling of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Catholics And Cultures website, retrieved 2023-05-03
  2. ↑ "Moçambique: Inquérito de Indicadores de Imunização, Malária e HIV/SIDA em Moçambique (IMASIDA), 2015" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Ministério da Saúde & Instituto Nacional de Estatística. p. 40. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Mozambique"  . Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  4. ↑ Freedom House website retrieved 2023-05-03
  5. ↑ US State Dept 2022 report
  6. ↑ "Holy See, Mozambique sign agreement". www.archivioradiovaticana.va. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  7. 1 2 3 d’Avillez, Filipe. "Archbishop: No military solution for Islamist insurgency in Mozambique". www.pillarcatholic.com. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  8. ↑ Aido, Paulo (2025-09-05). "Bishop denounces illegal occupation of Church land in Mozambique". ACN International. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  9. ↑ d'Avillez, Filipe (2021-04-13). "Ex-bispo de Pemba admite ameaças por parte do Governo - Renascença". Rádio Renascença (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2025-09-23.

Sources

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