Radar

The Bishops of Mozambique on The Events Occurred in Cabo Delgado and The Rest of The Country

BY D. Lúcio Andrice Muandula* | Maputo, Mozambique.

GATHERED IN our first Plenary Session of 2021, we, the Catholic Bishops of Mozambique, with saddened hearts, like all Mozambican citizens who identify themselves with the good of the country, deplore the tragic situation that the population of Cabo Delgado is experiencing. We regret the prevailing insecurity of the population in the centre of the country and the food insecurity and hunger that affect the people, as well as various forms of violence spreading in the country; all this is happening in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We deplore and condemn all acts of barbarism committed. In Cabo Delgado, defenceless people are being killed, injured and abused. They see their property looted, their privacy violated, their homes destroyed and the bodies of their relatives desecrated. They are forced to abandon their land where they were born and where their ancestors are buried. These fellow citizens of ours, mostly women and children, are pushed towards the precipice of insecurity and fear. 

LOOTING RESOURCES

We deplore the prevalence of this state of affairs, with no clear indication that the causes of this conflict will soon be overcome. This state of affairs increases and consolidates the perception that behind this conflict there are interests of various kinds and origins, namely those of certain groups, to take over the nation and its resources. Instead of being put at the service of local communities and becoming a source of sustenance and development, with the construction of infrastructure, basic services and job opportunities, these resources are taken away with a total lack of transparency, fuelling revolt and resentment, particularly in the hearts of the young, and becoming a source of discontent, division and grief.

We recognise that one of the strong motivations for our young people to be drawn into various forms of insurgency, from criminality to terrorism, or the no less harmful political or religious extremism, is their experience of hopelessness for a favourable future. There are no opportunities to build a dignified life for most of them. They feel that society and its decision-makers ignore their suffering and do not listen to their voices. It is easy to lure people—full of life and dreams, but without prospects, who feel wronged and victims of a culture of corruption—into adhering to proposals for a new social order imposed through violence or to follow illusions of easy enrichment that lead to ruin. How can young people have prospects if the country seems to have no direction, without a common project in which they are invited to be active collaborators and that nourishes their hope? 

PEACE BUILDING

It is our position that nothing justifies violence; neither the difficult situation of lack of a collective perspective, shared as a nation, nor resentment, intolerance or partisan interests of a religious, political or economic nature, should direct us, as a people, towards the path of insurgency of any kind.

Once again, we express our total solidarity with the weakest and the youth who yearn for a dignified life. Religions have a great contribution to make, in the resilience of their communities and in the pursuing of an ideal of a united society in solidarity; limiting their action does not favour the search for solutions.

The mission of the Catholic Church has always been a commitment to collaborate for the good of the nation, pointing out the dangers and always expecting that those who have responsibilities seek due solutions. We have always given our concrete collaboration for the wellbeing of our people in the fields of education, health and human development. All in all, we want to collaborate in the reconstruction of the social fabric wounded by old and recent traumas.

We will continue to redouble our efforts to help the destitute and to welcome the displaced, offering them our listening and consolation, as well as means of support shared by believers. We would like to be able to offer our children and young people educational paths which open them to the values of tolerance, respect and friendship and enable them to see the dream of a better future fulfilled. We reiterate our willingness to collaborate with the living forces of our country for a social order where selfishness leaves room for solidarity, and together with the authorities, to draw up a project for a country that includes every citizen, favouring the most marginalized and disadvantaged.

We exhort the national political forces, the organisations present in the country and the international community to unite their efforts and, leaving aside their own interests, to come to the aid of displaced people, those living with serious food insecurity, exposed to endemic diseases and without access to basic services. It is also urgent to create more opportunities for work and development for all, particularly for young people. Finally, we appeal to all to contribute towards promoting peace, protecting the population, closing off war-financing channels, isolating and stopping individuals or groups who take advantage of the tragedy in Cabo Delgado.

Despite the difficult times we are living in, let no one lose hope. As Pope Francis’s encyclical, Fratelli Tutti states, “hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile. Let us continue, then, to advance along the paths of hope” (FT 55).

*(President of Episcopal Conference of Mozambique (CEM, in Portuguese) 
www.comboni.org/contenuti/113020)