Às comunidades cristãs e a todos os homens e mulheres de boa vontade, queremos saudar com as palavras de Jesus Cristo Ressuscitado:“A Paz esteja convosco”.
Nós, os Bispos católicos de Moçambique, reunidos no Centro de Formação de Nazaré, Arquidiocese da Beira, continuamos muito preocupados pela vertiginosa deterioração da vida social, política e económica do nosso país.
Perante o recrudescimento de acções de violência: acusações mútuas, corte de estradas, raptos, esquadrões de morte, com o desaparecimento e assassinato misteriosos de pessoas, enfrentamentos armados com muitas mortes de civis e militares, semeando luto nas nossas famílias, renovamos o apelo que fizemos ao Governo e à Renamo no dia 10 de Novembro de 2015 para o “silêncio absoluto das armas” e para a“urgência dum diálogo eficaz envolvendo as forças vivas da sociedade”. Exortamos igualmente a todos a respeitarmos a vida e a cumprirmos o mandamento do nosso Criador e Senhor: “Não matarás” (Dt5, 17).
Apelamos vivamente a não ficarmos surdos ao grito do povo que noite e dia clama “paz, paz, paz”; e a não ficarmos indiferentes à denúncia de D. Jaime Pedro Gonçalves, grande profeta da paz que disse: “Mesmo que toquem juntos todos os batuques de Moçambique, ninguém ouve”. Com ele afirmamos que é necessário terminar com a retórica e as promessas enganosas, e ter a coragem de dar passos concretos para pôr fim às hostilidades.
Renovamos a nossa solidariedade com todo o povo moçambicano que, apesar destes sinais de morte, vive na esperança de uma autêntica paz. Reiteramos a nossa disponibilidade de buscarmos juntos o caminho da reconciliação, da justiça e da paz.
Convidamos as nossas comunidades cristãs e todos os homens e mulheres de boa vontade para uma jornada especial de oração pela paz e de solidariedade no dia 22 do próximomês de Maio, Solenidade da Santíssima Trindade, Deus Amor e Misericórdia. A colecta deste dia será encaminhada integralmente à Cáritas Nacional para acudir às necessidades dos moçambicanos Refugiados no Campo de Kapise, no Malawi.
Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops of Mozambique
“I heard the clamour of my people… I saw their sufferings” Ez: 3, 7.
We would like to greet all Christian communities and people of good will with the Words of Jesus Christ the Risen One: “Peace be with you.”
We, the Catholic Bishops of Mozambique, gathered in the Formation Centre of Nazaré, in the Archdiocese of Beira, continue to be very much preoccupied by the vertiginous deterioration of the socio-political and economic life of our country.
Faced with the recrudescence of violent actions such as: mutual accusations, the cutting off of roads, rape, death squad, the mysterious disappearing and murdering of people, the armed confrontations with many deaths of civilians and soldiers provoking mourning in our families, we renew the appeal that we made to the Government and RENAMO on the 10th November 2015 to “absolutely set their guns to silence”, to “urgently come to an efficient dialogue involving all the social bodies”. We equally exhort all to respect the dignity of human life and to observe the commandment of our Creator and Lord “You shall not kill” Dt: 5, 17.
We are strongly appealing not to remain deaf to the cry of people who, night and day are shouting, “peace, peace, peace”; not to remain indifferent to the denunciation of the great prophet of peace, the Bishop Jaime Pedro Gonçalves who said, “all the drums of Mozambique may be beaten altogether, no one hears”. With him, we affirm that it is necessary to finish with the rhetoric and the false promises and to have the courage to make some concrete steps to put an end to the hostilities.
We renew our solidarity with the Mozambican people who, despite these signals of death, live in hope of an authentic peace.
We reiterate our availability to search together the way towards reconciliation, justice and justice.
We invite our Christian communities, all men and women of good will for a special day of prayer and solidarity on the 22nd May, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, God who is love and merciful. The collection on this day will be integrally sent to Caritas National to help the Mozambican refugees in Kapise camp in Malawi.
Beira, 11th April 2016
Bishop Francisco Chimoio, Archbishop of Maputo, President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique
Translation from Portuguese by Boris Yabre, M.Afr
del Muro.
What is interesting about Benedict is that he was a very ordinary boy who grew up in a remote village of Limpopo in a very loving family; he was baptised as a catholic only when he was 17 years old he became a teacher, got married and fathered eight children. He became a real leader in his village, always guided by his catholic faith in action, and not only in words. He had a great love for all people, especially the youth whom he trained to become real good Christians and citizens. He can be a real inspiration and role model for each one of us. Pray through his intercession; ask him to help you discover your Christian vocation.
