Mozambique: Bishop Carlos Matsinhe to retire

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Bishop Carlos Matsinhe to retire

1:25 CAT | 11 Jul 2024

File photo: Lusa

The bishop of the Anglican Church of Mozambique Carlos Matsinhe, who is also president of the Mozambican National Elections Commission (CNE), announced on Tuesday that he is to retire after 45 years of service in the church.

“In fact, I complete 45 years cumulatively from deacon to priest, from priest to bishop and from bishop to archbishop. (…) Under the laws that regulate the mandates of leadership in this Anglican church, the time has now come to make available the positions that were invested in me,” Carlos Matsinhe told a press conference at the Anglican Church in Maputo, the Mozambican capital.

Matsinhe stated that he is going into retirement “with great joy, gratitude and enthusiasm”, noting that he ends his mandate leaving an “ecclesiastical province” with 12 dioceses and 12 bishops cumulatively in Mozambique and Angola, up from four existing at the time he took office.

“There are seeds that were sown, that will blossom and there will be fruits and better fruits. Therefore, we end this ministry with great gratitude and enthusiasm,” highlighted Carlos Matsinhe, adding that he would remain an active member of the church.

“As I am a priest, a priest never retires, I will continue to pray masses, preach the gospel and make visitations within the framework of the space granted to me by those who will replace me as leaders of our church,” he said.

In November, 2023, the Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola (IAMA), an entity that covers the ecclesiastical province of believers in these two countries, requested the removal of Carlos Matsinhe from the position of bishop, a request whose outcome is unknown, as the meeting to discuss possible resignation was postponed without explanation.

IAMA’s request was made at a time when Matsinhe was facing criticism due to his management of the last local elections in Mozambique, with several entities demanding his resignation from the CNE in the face of opposition and various institutions challenging the results of the local elections announced by that organism.

Carlos Matsinhe clarified that his retirement was not the result of any request made by the church, noting that he had reached the maximum age for holding the position.

“It really is time for change. Our canons say that the bishop, upon reaching 70 years of age, makes his position available. This is the maximum age I have reached now, so it is not that request, but precisely because I have already fulfilled the mission,” he declared.

Asked whether his retirement as bishop also implied his removal as president of the Mozambican electoral commission, Carlos Matsinhe declined to answer.

The ceremony marking his retirement will take place on Sunday at the Maxaquene sports pavilion in Maputo, and will be attended by several notable figures, including members of the government.

Source: Lusa