Catholic Archbishop in Mozambique Launches 2025 Jubilee Year with Call for “resilience, faith, hope” amid Challenges

Reflecting on the two celebrations of the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary and the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the latter being marked under the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope”, he said, “The Jubilee of the Holy Year of Hope 2025 invites us to a journey of spiritual renewal, while the Holy Family teaches us to live with hope even amid daily struggles.” he said.

Hope is essential in navigating adversity, Archbishop Nunes said, and added, “Hope is what keeps us firm; it helps us resist discouragement and despair, even in challenging times such as these.”

Pope Francis announced the start of a Year of Prayer on 21 January 2024 in preparation for the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.

He said that the 2025 Jubilee Year will be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

Months later, on the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ on 9 May 2024, the Holy Father solemnly proclaimed the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he delivered the Bull of Indiction of the planned Jubilee, “Spes non confundit” (Hope does not disappoint).

The Jubilee Year provides the people of God across the globe an opportunity to participate in various planned jubilee events at the Vatican and in their respective Episcopal Sees and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL).

The Holy Father opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before Mass on Christmas Eve, officially launching the Jubilee Year 2025.

In his December 29 homily, Archbishop Nunes reflected on the transformative power of faith in the person of Jesus Christ in addressing the challenges of the people of God under his pastoral care. He said, “The light of Christ, reflected in our commitment to the common good and peace, can truly transform our city and families, building a better future.”

“The insecurity and violence afflicting Maputo challenge us to seek solutions inspired by faith, peace, and reconciliation,” he said, and posed, “If we do not cultivate peace and forgiveness in our homes, how can we expect it to flourish in our city?”

According to the 56-year-old Catholic Archbishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in July 2011 as Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo Archdiocese, “Transformation begins in the heart and must be reflected in our daily actions.”

He invited the people of God to look to the Holy Family as an example of unity, love, and perseverance. The family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, he said, “offers a perfect model of how to navigate adversity with faith and trust in God.”

“We are called to overcome challenges and become signs of hope for Maputo, just as the Holy Family remained faithful through their trials,” the Local Ordinary of Maputo Archdiocese, who doubles as Vice President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique (CEM) said.

Street protests erupted both before and after Mozambique’s electoral commission declared that the country’s ruling party, Frelimo, had won the October 9 presidential election, extending its 49-year hold on power.

The new opposition party Podemos and its presidential candidate, Venancio Mondlane, rejected the results that the electoral commission announced. Earlier, other opposition candidates, civil society groups, and observers said that the election was marred by fraud. 

More than 130 have been reported killed in clashes with law enforcement agencies, a Reuters December 24 report indicated, citing civil society monitoring group Plataforma Decide.

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On December 24, Mozambique’s Constitutional Council, the country’s top court with the final say over electoral processes, confirmed the victory of the ruling party, Frelimo, that has governed the Southern African nation since 1975.

In his December 29 homily, Archbishop Nunes underscored the need for the virtues of mercy, humility, and patience in addressing societal issues, describing them as “garments we must wear to face the challenges around us.”

“In a time when the social fabric is strained, and violence dominates our days, hope becomes more urgent than ever,” he further said, and appealed, “Like the Holy Family, may we be agents of transformation and hope, beginning with the renewal of our hearts and the practice of genuine love in our homes and communities.”

Archbishop Nunes also appealed for collective efforts toward peace, saying, “Even in these difficult moments, we must not lose hope. We need each other; we need understanding, and above all, we need faith to overcome any adversity and build a future of peace and love for all.”

“If peace does not reign in our hearts and families, it cannot overflow into society. Let us strive to cultivate peace in our lives and homes as a foundation for societal harmony,” Archbishop Nunes emphasized in his December 29 homily.