Newly Appointed Mozambican Bishop Pledges to Foster “love of life” in Episcopal Ministry

Bishop Maguengue regretted the fact that in his native country of Mozambique, many young are desperate; they “have lost hope”. He said, “We need to restore hope, to educate the youth.”

The Catholic Bishop who first served as Local Ordinary of Mozambique’s Pemba Diocese following his Episcopal Ordination in October 2004 told ACI that he will seek “to continue the works of my predecessors in the vineyard of the Lord.”

“Since its establishment, the Diocese of Inhambane has been headed by great and dedicated Bishops,” he said, and added, “I am also looking forward to collaborating with Bishop Langa, my brother Priests and Religious and with the people of God.”

The 57-year-old Bishop who was ordained a Priest for the Archdiocese of Maputo in May 1989 said he is “open to learn, to listen” and that he will seek “to know and work with my brother Priests, Religious people and people of goodwill.”

Credit: ACI Africa

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In the April 7 interview with ACI Africa, Bishop Maguengue shared about his reaction to the news of the latest administrative changes in Inhambane Diocese. 

He said, “I received the news with mixed feelings. First a feeling of gratitude, of goodbye and gratitude to the Holy Church.”

“I’m grateful to God and the Holy Church for having confidence in me to head the Diocese of Inhambane,” Bishop Maguengue who, in October 2012, resigned as Local Ordinary of Pemba, told ACI Africa April 7.

He also expressed his “gratitude to the people of God here in the Archdiocese of Nampula, where I have been since 2014.”

“It's hard to say goodbye because there were bonds that were created, bonds of affection, of esteem,” Bishop Maguengue said. 

The Catholic Bishop took the occasion of the April 7 interview, the National Day of Women in Mozambique, to address himself to women in the Southern African nation.

“On this day we celebrate all women that have and continue to contribute immensely to our nation,” Bishop Maguengue said, and added, “We also remember in a special way the women victims of terrorism in Cabo Delgado.”

The Mozambican Catholic Bishop added, “The true beauty of a woman lies in her heart, in her soul. A woman is not the invention of the world but God’s creation.”

“Women are a gift from God, they too deserve to be educated and respected. Women are a gift to humanity,” he went on to say during the April 7 interview.

Once installed as the Local Ordinary of Inhambane, Bishop Maguengue will oversee the 68,476 square kilometer Diocese that was erected in August 1962, and with a population of 333,435 Catholics, according to 2019 statistics.

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Sheila Pires is a veteran radio and television Mozambican journalist based in South Africa. She studied communications at the University of South Africa. She is passionate about writing on the works of the Church through Catholic journalism.