Advertisement

Pioneer Catholic Bishop of Mozambique’s Gurué Diocese Dies after Protracted Illness at 73

Late Bishop Manuel Chuanguira Machado, the first Catholic Bishop of Gurué Diocese in Mozambique. Credit: Gurué Diocese

Bishop Manuel Chuanguira Machado, the first Catholic Bishop of Gurué Diocese in Mozambique, has passed on in Quelimane after suffering illness “for years”. He was aged 73.

Bishop Chuanguira died in the early hours of Wednesday, October 11 at Quelimane Central Hospital, the Local Ordinary of the Mozambican Diocese, Bishop Inácio Lucas Mwita, has announced in a statement.

 In the October 11 statement, Bishop Mvita says, “The Bishop emeritus had been ill for years and was transferred last week from Gurué Hospital to Quelimane Central Hospital.”

“He entered intensive care on October 9 and on October 11, the Lord was pleased to call him to rest,” Bishop Mvita says.

The Local Ordinary of Gurué Diocese continues, “The funeral program will be communicated at a later date.” 

Advertisement

“May God welcome His servant in the joy of heaven,” Bishop Mvita implores in his October 11 statement.

Born in June 1950, the late Bishop Compaoré was ordained a Priest in December 1981 for the Archdiocese of Beira in Mozambique.

He was at the helm of Gurué Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in May 1994 at the age 43. 

The late Catholic Bishop resigned in October 2009 at the age of 59 due to poor health. He was succeeded by the late Bishop Francisco Lerma Martínez.

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.