According to Mozambican Bishop António Juliasse, the Pope’s message is that no war should ever be forgotten.
Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique, during his Angelus address on Sunday, August 24. Pope Francis had previously referred to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado on several occasions.
“I express my closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, who have become victims of an insecure and violent situation that continues to cause death and displacement. In asking you not to forget these brothers and sisters of ours, I invite you to pray for them, and I express my hope that the efforts of the country’s leaders will succeed in restoring security and peace in that territory,” said Pope Leo, following the recitation of the Marian prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
The Pope’s words were a great source of comfort for the people affected by the Islamist insurgency, said Bishop António Juliasse of the Diocese of Pemba, which covers Cabo Delgado, in a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
“Pope Leo XIV’s message during the Angelus, which was addressed to the whole world, is above all an act of profound closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado, who are suffering terribly from a war that began in 2017 and continues to destroy lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods, while limiting every possibility of development,” said the bishop.
The Mozambican bishop emphasized that the Pope’s words are also a “clear call for this war not to be forgotten,” and a “major encouragement to revive peace talks, so that the people—the victims of war, particularly the internally displaced, and all those who suffer from trauma—may find some form of support through the solidarity of the world.”
“I believe the Holy Father is simply saying that no war deserves to be forgotten, because all wars harm life and desecrate human dignity,” Bishop António Juliasse concluded in his message to ACN.
The conflict in Cabo Delgado, which began in 2017, has intensified in recent weeks, with a new wave of attacks forcing at least 60,000 more people to flee their homes. They add to nearly one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been uprooted over the past eight years. The fighting has also caused more than 6,000 deaths.
ACN has been working closely with the Diocese of Pemba to provide direct material assistance to victims of terrorism, as well as pastoral and psychosocial support. The charity has also financed vehicles for pastoral workers who serve the displaced in the many camps across northern Mozambique.
