Pope urges Mozambique bishops to make evangelization a priority

Published: 2007-05-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI urged the bishops of Mozambique to make evangelization a priority, particularly by strengthening the religious education of the country's Catholics. "Without this deep formation, faith and religious practice will remain superficial and fragile," the pope said, and it will be impossible to infuse "the ancestral customs with a Christian spirit." Pope Benedict met the bishops May 26 at the end of their "ad limina" visits, which the heads of dioceses make every five years. About 24 percent of Mozambicans are Catholic and about 18 percent are Muslim; a substantial portion of the population either belongs to Christian sects or follows a traditional African religion. Pope Benedict told the bishops that if Catholics had a better understanding of their faith and were more committed to living it not only would they be protected from the sects, but they also would be better equipped for dialogue with Muslims and members of other religions.

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