The Vatican's decision to remove the Bishop of Cabo Delgado, D. LUIZ FERNANDO LISBOA (LFL), from Pemba, was especially influenced by internal assessments according to which his life would be threatened by groups that, within the regime itself, considered him “undesirable”.
The Catholic Church of Pemba itself gradually became a target of the armed cells of Islamic inspiration active in the province, with the destruction of chapels and missions as happened in Nangololo, with the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus invaded and destroyed by the insurgents. Also in relation to the massacre of 52 young Christians (“the martyrs of Xitaxi”), in APR.2020, murdered for refusing to be recruited by the insurgents, the bishop sought to pierce the government boycott, which initially denied the case.
D. LFL's action ended up having an effect on the Vatican itself, leading Pope Francis to mention the situation in Cabo Delgado on more than one occasion. The Pope, informed about the humanitarian situation, the occupation of parts of the territory such as Mocímboa da Praia, or the disappearance of 2 nuns from the International Congregation of the Sisters of São José de Chambéry, repeatedly mentioned Cabo Delgado in the intentions of his homilies. READ MORE