Nampula – “Seeing young people who are well-educated and full of hope facing an uncertain future, precisely at a time when the country needs their skills, energy and talent most, is one of the most painful realities afflicting our beloved land.”
With these words, the Archbishop of Nampula, Dom Inácio Saure, IMC, drew attention to the problem of youth unemployment during the homily he delivered at the graduation ceremony for students of the Catholic University of Mozambique . The prelate, President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique , warned the newly graduated students against the risk of adding to the already significant number of qualified citizens who, despite years of study and sacrifice, are unable to find employment suited to their skills.
Unemployment among educated people, Dom Inácio stressed, is one of the issues affecting Mozambique’s social and economic reality. “Some of our young graduates, unfortunately, will join those who, despite years of study and sacrifice, find themselves without employment and without the opportunity to put their skills at the service of society.” The Archbishop therefore urged young people to make good use of the knowledge they acquired during their studies with awareness and a sense of responsibility, including in the face of the difficulties they may encounter in the world of work.
Education, he recalled, should not be regarded merely as a means of obtaining employment, but as a responsibility towards society and the common good.
During his speech, Dom Inácio also recalled the assassination of Dom Osório Citora Afonso, Bishop of Quelimane, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira and Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique. Referring to the tragic case , the Archbishop denounced the continuing lack of clarity surrounding the circumstances of the prelate’s death, which occurred in Quelimane, and reiterated the need for the truth to finally come to light.
The Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, he recalled, has been in mourning since last June and, to date, no definitive answers have been provided regarding responsibility for or the motives behind the killing .
“Daring to speak the truth in Mozambique, without hiding one’s face, constitutes a great risk, the risk of one’s own life,” said the Archbishop of Nampula. In his address, Dom Inácio appealed to the competent authorities to shed full light on what happened and to provide information about those responsible for and the motives behind the killing of the man he described as a humble man of God and servant of the people.
“On a day of graduation at UCM, enlightened by the Word of God that we have heard, I think it would not be out of place to raise our voices and strongly urge the competent authorities of this country to abandon this shameful tendency and tell the truth to Mozambicans, to the Church and to the world about the case of Dom Osório,” he said.
In conclusion, the Archbishop made a particular appeal to the graduates, especially those who had studied law, urging them to place their education and skill at the service of society, with responsibility and integrity. “Science without conscience is simply the ruin of the soul. The same can be said of authority without dignity, which constitutes a true misfortune for the people,” Dom Inácio said.
To the students who had just completed their university studies, he expressed his hope that they would reach “the summit of conscience”, so that wherever they may find themselves—even in the difficult circumstances of unemployment, but especially when they have the opportunity to work—they may honour, through their commitment, the Catholic University of Mozambique, recognized for its quality and capacity for innovation.
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