Mozambique
Promoted by spazio + spadoni, the Diocesan Forum held in Cuamba on October 21 and 22 represented an important moment of reflection and pastoral renewal for the Diocese of Lichinga. At its center was the need to transform mercy into a way of life and a concrete commitment for the entire ecclesial community.
It has just concluded, but its significance is destined to extend beyond the two days of work. The Diocesan Forum on Works of Mercy, promoted by spazio + spadoni and held on October 21 and 22, 2026, in Cuamba, in the Diocese of Lichinga, Mozambique, represented an important event for the local Church and a significant opportunity to renew awareness of its evangelizing mission.
Not simply a training session, but an invitation to rethink the way of being Church, placing at the center the inseparable bond between the proclamation of the Gospel and mercy. The chosen reference was the words of Jesus: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).
The reflection grew out of the concrete reality of the diocesan territory, marked by poverty, unemployment, hunger, disease, abandonment, displacement, and violence. Situations that involve vulnerable children, elderly people living alone, and wounded families, directly challenging Christian communities.
The question posed to the participants was particularly significant: how many people find the merciful face of Christ in the Church?
The seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy were reinterpreted not as a list of practices to know, but as a responsibility to be lived. Feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, welcoming those who are alone, accompanying those going through difficult times, forgiving, and praying: these are gestures in which faith becomes a concrete witness. As the Gospel of Matthew reminds us, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).
One of the central points of the Forum concerned the responsibility of the various vocations in the mission. Priests were asked to examine whether their pastoral care was capable of going beyond the celebration of the sacraments, becoming a presence, listening, and accompaniment for people.
Religious men and women were reminded that mercy must be visible first and foremost in the life of their own communities and in the witness of their consecration. The laity were entrusted with the task of bringing the Gospel into everyday environments: family, school, work, neighborhood, and institutions.
But the Forum also proposed a more personal step: an examination of conscience on the works of mercy that are known and on those, instead, neglected.
Which gesture of closeness was postponed? Which person in need was not listened to? Which sick person was not visited?
A reflection that invited everyone to recognize their own responsibilities, without merely pointing out the shortcomings of others.
The parable of the Good Samaritan has offered the most effective image of this journey: when faced with an injured person, one can pass by or stop and take care of them. The difference lies in compassion, in the ability to let oneself be touched by the suffering of others and to respond.
The conclusion of the Forum did not mark the end of a journey, but the beginning of a renewed responsibility. Among the expected outcomes, greater collaboration among priests, consecrated persons, and the laity, pastoral care closer to people, and concrete initiatives to visit the sick, accompany the elderly, support vulnerable families, and listen to young people.
It is in these gestures that the fruits of the encounter can mature, with positive impacts on the life of the communities and on the pastoral work of the Diocese of Lichinga.
The contribution of spazio + spadoni provided an opportunity to renew a fundamental awareness: the mission of the Church does not end when Mass ends. It is after the Eucharist that an essential part of Christian witness begins, when going out to meet Christ in the streets and in people.
Because it is not enough to proclaim mercy: we must become mercy. With hands that serve, feet that walk, eyes that see, and a heart that gets involved. This is the Church that Lichinga needs and toward which the Forum has invited us to walk.
Photo of the Diocese of Lichinga
