"Security is still precarious. The first thing we really need to do is ensure that people can return safely to resume their lives with confidence. But I think we still need time. If people return, we will also consider the possibility that missionaries will return. But for us, the thermometer will be to understand the degree of real security."

"Insecurity prevails, the internally displaced are still many. I personally ask you, those who know me, to pray. Pray for me, and pray for peace. As a church, we can only humanely help those forced to move from one place to another. The security issue is in the hands of the government and international partners."

"Many young people from the countryside have moved to the cities but have not found work there. This is, among other things, a major challenge at a pastoral level. The ideal would be to create vocational training opportunities for these people. However, the Church alone does not have the means to do this."

"The finalities of the entire work of evangelization and catechesis in Mozambique are the education and the formation to faith by the adult Christian, which means to put him in the condition of being able to translate and live faith in the living witness of charity, in the joy of hope, in the humble, generous and free service unto communion and for the unity for the grace and for peace in the Church and in society."

"We would like to conclude with a plea to the producers of weapons to cease to furnish weapons to Africa and in paraphrasing the Prophet Isaiah (Is 2,4), that they transform their factories of weaponry into factories of agricultural instruments or modem technologies for the good of humanity."

"Evangelization's primary objective is the sanctification of man for Christ in the Holy Spirit and the glorification of God always in Christ in the Holy Spirit. All the works of the pilgrim Church on earth have as their main objective, this sanctification and glorification which is reached above all through the liturgy."

"Realise that we have been sent to transmit the message of Christ which is not identified with any culture and that, therefore, we must not preach theories of our own invention. This way, we will be able to evangelise cultures and the people of Africa. Outside of their own culture, the families will not be Christian, but only copies of Christian families and little more."

"All those who find themselves between two opposing factions suffer and the church was always a victim of this cross fire, not least because each of the parties claims the support of the Catholic church."

"The Church is much appreciated by Mozambique because of its work of pacification in the country carried out in collaboration with the Community of Sant'Egidio. The Church continues to work to consolidate the culture of peace."

"Working together is of utmost importance as one country alone cannot address all the challenges."

"Peace brought to us by Christ is the attitude of all those who practice the laws of justice and love, established by God for harmony in creation. The Church must make an appeal to Africa, to have a pure conscience to work honestly towards the common good. The Church must also be the voice of those who have no say, to courageously denounce all those plans that make men slaves. We must make an effort to create internal and external peace and maintain it, fruit of victory and self-discipline."

"Thankfully there is no deep lying hatred among the people but the problem is that many former soldiers, used to earning their living by fighting, have turned into bandits and they harass the people. In this context the Church continues her work of evangelisation and human promotion, aware that hearts and minds cannot be changed immediately but only with patience and time."

"We Bishops also need formation. We studied for the priesthood in the seminary and we had teachers who accompanied our journey of formation. When we are appointed Bishops our task becomes more difficult, there is more responsibility, there are more problems."

"I ask ACN to do everything in its power to enable the Biblia Sagrada Africana to be brought to Mozambique. I personally find this project very opportune, as it will allow us to have access to the Word of God, which we need very much, especially in the reflections and catechesis that we usually carry out in the 47 parishes of the Archdiocese of Maputo."

"The retired experience is characterised mainly by rest since one is after all in retirement. Without the concerns of the office, I initially found life in retirement disconcerting. For 35 years I was the head of the diocese and then the archdiocese."

"In an Africa full of hate and war and at the same time thirsty for love, I believe that it is very important for the Church to be involved in works of charity: works of charity not for proselytism, but to witness the fact that we must love each other as Christ loved us. In the dioceses there are many initiatives, but I think we must also revive the charisma of the works of mercy. In the tradition of the Church, the works of charity are an eloquent testimonial of love, even for the non-believers."

"The message of the Gospel continues to be a novelty in our times and has the ability to respond to all the problems of today's society, since it can adapt to the circumstances of time and place as long as people do not allow themselves to be suffocated by material goods."

"I think Mozambique needs to rediscover the meaning of life. There's a need for moral regeneration; we need to preach the gospel of reconciliation to everyone, to find a way to reconcile with ourselves and with God. We need to restore hope, to educate the youth."

"I think that there was not a full length of the Rome agreement because the question of reconciliation of the Mozambicans was set aside and the elections were prioritized at the time and the winner of the elections ended up being the winner of the war. I am speaking of the war of 16 years, which was supposed to be a war without losers or winners, so those who governed the country set aside for me some crucial aspects that we so longed for."

"Despite the difficulties we face, we are called not to lose hope, but to renew our trust in the change that only God can bring about."

"In war, the poor are killed. In peace, the poor dies."

"There is only a way of escape from a place: is leaving ourselves. There is only a way of leaving ourselves: is loving someone. Só há um modo de escapar de um lugar: é sairmos de nós. Só há um modo de sairmos de nós: é amarmos alguém."

"Every morning the gazelle wakes up knowing she must run faster than the lion or will be dead. Every morning the lion wakes up knowing he must run faster than the gazelle or he'll starve. It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle: when the sun rises you better start to run."