Catholic Bishop in Mozambique Urges Universities to Form Professionals with Discernment, Social Responsibility

Maputo, 01 December, 2025 / 2:29 AM

A Mozambican Catholic Bishop has called on the Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM) and other institutions of higher learning in Mozambique to go beyond issuing academic degrees and focus on forming professionals capable of deep investigation, moral discernment, and responsible action in a rapidly changing and increasingly confusing world.

Speaking during a thanksgiving Mass for graduates at the institution on November 29, Bishop Osório Citora Afonso of the Diocese of Quelimane warned that higher education must not limit itself to technical expertise. 

Instead, he said, universities should produce men and women able to distinguish truth from falsehood and make decisions that serve society.

“The university does not exist merely to issue diplomas. It exists to form people who can understand reality deeply, question it, and discern in the midst of the confusion of contemporary life,” Bishop Afonso said.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the Catholic University of Mozambique, the Catholic Church leader highlighted the institution’s responsibility to be a space of true research and reflection. 

Drawing inspiration from the biblical figure Daniel, he urged students to seek what is hidden rather than settle for superficial answers, saying, “The university must cultivate the capacity to investigate and pursue truth.”

Bishop Afonso, a member of the Institute of Consolata Missionaries, emphasized that education must include training in moral judgment. 

“It is not enough to accumulate information. One must know how to interpret it, decide what is right, and act accordingly. Without discernment, we will have graduates and PhDs who do not serve society,” he said.

Bishop Afonso called on lecturers to take an active role in nurturing ethical and critical thinkers.

A Catholic university, he said, should help students navigate uncertainty by forming them in reflection, interiority, and the ability to choose wisely.

Addressing graduates, Bishop Afonso said a diploma is not an endpoint but a tool for continued inquiry and service. 

He warned against the dangers of conformism and superficiality, especially in an age of misinformation. 

“We have journalists who reproduce fake news, communicators who rely on superficiality, and academics who settle for internet information without deepening their knowledge. This must change if we are to build a conscious society,” Bishop Afonso said.

He insisted that true education integrates science and ethics, reason and faith, technical skills and moral discernment. 

Academic titles, he said, are insufficient if they are not accompanied by responsibility and commitment to the common good.

“A nation full of degree holders without discernment cannot move forward. We must form citizens capable of transforming society and building a better Mozambique,” he said.

Bishop Afonso described his message as a call to action—an appeal for students and educators to investigate deeply, discern clearly, and act with ethical and social responsibility.

“The Catholic University does not seek to produce frustrated graduates. It seeks to form fulfilled men and women who, with wisdom and discernment, can contribute to a more just, happy, and prosperous Mozambique,” he said.