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Pope Appoints Auxiliary Bishop in Malawi, Archbishop in Mozambique

Archbishop João Carlos Hatoa Nunes (left) and Mons. Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda (right). Credit: Courtesy Photo

By Silas Isenjia

Maputo, 05 May, 2023 / 8:07 pm (ACI Africa).

Pope Francis has appointed Mons. Yohane Suzgo Nyirenda as the Auxiliary Bishop for Mzuzu Diocese in Malawi and Archbishop João Carlos Hatoa Nunes as the Local Ordinary for Mozambique’s Maputo Archdiocese.

Archbishop Hatoa Nunes who was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Maputo last November and installed in January this year is set to succeed Archbishop Francisco Chimoio whose retirement request has been accepted by the Holy Father after the member of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM Cap.) attained 75 years, the Canonical age required for retirement.

The latest administrative changes in the Malawian Diocese and Mozambican Archdiocese were made public by the Holy See Press Office on Friday, May 5.

In a statement obtained by ACI Africa on the same day of the appointments, members of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) say, “We join the Diocese of Mzuzu, and indeed the entire Catholic Church in Malawi, in congratulating the Bishop-elect for this appointment.”

“We have every reason to celebrate God's goodness and great care for us,” they say in the one-page statement signed by ECM’s Secretary General, Fr. Alfred Chaima, about the appointment of Mons. Suzgo who has been assigned the Titular See of Catro.

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Born in June 1976 in Mzuzu Diocese, the Malawian Bishop-elect was ordained a Priest for the same Diocese in July 2008 after completing his priestly formation at St. Anthony Major Seminary in Kachebere and St. Peter Major Seminary in Zomba.

The alumnus of the Nairobi-based Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) where he obtained a Diploma in Canon Law has been serving as the Rector of Kasina Spiritual Formation Center.

The holder of a diploma in Religious Formation and Spirituality from Lumen Christi Institute, Arusha, Tanzania has also previously served as the parochial vicar of Katete and Mzambazi; diocesan vocation Director; and Rector of Christ the King Formation Centre.

Once ordained Bishop, he is expected to assist the 71-year-old Bishop John Alphonsus Ryan to shepherd the  Malawian  Diocese, which has an estimated population of 710,150 Catholics representing 39.9 percent of the total population in the Diocese,  according to 2021 statistics.

The 21,500 square-kilometer Diocese that was erected in May 1947 is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lilongwe.

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In the May 5 administrative changes in Mozambique, Archbishop Hatoa Nunes is set to succeed Archbishop Chimoio who has been serving the Mozambican Archdiocese since May 2003.

Born in March 1968, the Archbishop was ordained a Priest for Maputo Archdiocese in July 1995 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at St. Augustine Major Seminary in Maputo.

He began his Episcopal Ministry in July 2011 when he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo Archdiocese and assigned the Titular See of Amudarsa.

In January 2012, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Beira Archdiocese following the retirement of Archbishop Jaime Pedro Gonçalves. 

In a November last year interview with ACI Africa following his appointment as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Maputo, Archbishop Hatoa Nunes described the appointment as a surprise and requested prayers from the people of God in the Southern African nation.

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“It was a surprise when Pope Francis asked me for this work here in the Archdiocese,” he said in the 15 November 2022 interview, and added, “I look at it as a mission. God calls where He wants us to be and the mission flows.”

“I want to ask everyone who rejoices at this moment, also in this reality... to pray, and I count on everyone's support, above all in advice, in whatever it may be, so that the mission may take place and contribute to the greater glory of the Lord,” said Archbishop Hatoa Nunes who served as the Local Ordinary of Mozambique’s Chimoio Diocese from January 2017 to November 2022.

Archbishop Hatoa Nunes is set to succeed Archbishop Chimoio as the Local Ordinary of the 26,358 square-kilometer Mozambican Archdiocese, which has an estimated population of 1,482,700 Catholics representing 40.2 percent of the total population in the Metropolitan See, according to 2021 statistics.

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.