Muslim solidarity is “sign of hope” in Mozambique, says bishop
The statement comes in the wake of a devastating attack against a landmark Catholic church and compound located in the region of Meza, Cabo Delgado.
The Muslim community of Mozambique has issued a statement condemning the ongoing attacks by jihadists in the north, which have increasingly been targeting Christian people and sites.
The jihadists who operate in Cabo Delgado and claim allegiance to the Islamic State recently attacked the Catholic parish of Saint Louis de Montfort, in Meza, in the Diocese of Pemba, which covers Cabo Delgado, burning it to the ground and destroying important infrastructure.
In the statement, the Muslim Community of Mozambique distances itself from these acts of violence. “The Islamic Community of Mozambique expresses its deepest concern over the recent attacks carried out in the province of Cabo Delgado, particularly the destruction of community infrastructure and places of worship in Meza.”
The community then states its “firm and unequivocal condemnation of all acts of violence against civilian populations, as well as the destruction of religious spaces, regardless of their confession.”
“At this time, we express our solidarity with the Catholic community and all the families affected by these events, and stress that faith should never be used to justify violence, fear or division,” the statement continues.
The message was sent to Bishop António Juliasse, of Pemba, who published it on the diocesan social media account, describing it as a “sign of hope and a symbol of human fraternity.”
“I would like to thank our Muslim brothers for their message. It helps us to distinguish, in practical terms, the Muslim religion from those who attempt to radicalise it and use it to spread messages of hatred, death and destruction”
Mozambique is a majority Christian country, though Muslims are the majority in the north.
Since November 2017, the conflict in Cabo Delgado province has caused at least 6,300 deaths and displaced more than one million people, affecting populations of different religions and communities. Within this broader context of violence, at least 300 Catholics have been brutally killed in attacks specifically targeting Christians, according to Bishop António Juliasse, including catechists, pastoral agents, lay faithful and an Italian religious, Sister Maria de Coppi. At least 118 churches and chapels have also been destroyed in the course of the insurgency.
ACN continues to support the Church in Mozambique in the midst of the crisis. Projects include humanitarian aid, psycho-social support and the rebuilding of infrastructure. The Vatican has also continued to show its proximity to the Catholics of Cabo Delgado, making constant calls for peace. In December 2025, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, visited the region and heard first-hand testimonies from victims.
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