Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Maputo (Agenzia Fides) - “During his first visit to Africa, in Cameroon and Angola, the Holy Father left us a profound message. He came to us to pray for us, [to pray] that we would have the strength and courage to face the challenges awaiting us on our continent,” the Bishops of Mozambique wrote at the close of their Plenary Assembly, which took place at the end of April in Maputo.
In the final statement, a copy of which was sent to Agenzia Fides, the Mozambican Bishops' Conference highlights that “during his visit, the Pope made an act of great symbolic significance for us: the presentation of the 'Instrumentum laboris,' the text that will serve as guide for the II Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, which will take place in Rome this coming October.”
After cordially greeting the new Apostolic Nuncio of Mozambique, Archbishop Antonio Arcari, they mentioned the upcoming National Congress on the Family. In reference to this, the Message affirms: “Observing the situation of the family in our society, although not exclusively, we see it in a situation of crisis and disorientation. Therefore, the motivations of this Congress are clearly in an effort to determine guidelines and support modules for the family. What is important is that the family truly be a domestic Church, a source of human and Christian values, a font of life, a living testimony to the Gospel.”
On a social level, the message mentions that “the Mozambican people have been left troubled and shaken by the tragedy of the prisoners in Monginqual and Angoche.” In February, 15 prisoners died of cholera in a jail in Angoche, in an overcrowded cell and amidst extremely low hygienic conditions. The detainees were part of a group of prisoners who had been transferred from Monginqual, where another 13 people had died of asphyxiation in small and overcrowded cells.
These tragedies, the Bishops say, “constitute a violation of the most fundamental human rights. Regardless the cause of his arrest, the prisoner does not lose his dignity as a human being and his right to life. The aim of imprisonment is not physical death of the prisoner, but a social recuperation through correctional and pedagogical methods. We cannot hesitate to express our opposition to the death penalty, especially an extra-judicial death penalty.”
After expressing their solidarity with the victims, the Bishops ask that the establishments render accounts of what occurred: “as these deaths occurred under State vigilance, we are asking for heightened responsibility, and a revision of conditions of the jail throughout the country.”
As for upcoming elections, the Bishops encourage the population to “take to heart their right and duty as voters,” and denounced the political violence, which is a “result of hate and intolerance.” In response to this phenomenon, the Bishops encourage citizens to “build a peaceful society, based on a civilization of love.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 8/5/2009)
