Latest Lusophone Catholic Bishops’ Meeting “moment of profound pastoral sharing”: Catholic Bishop in Cape Verde

According to him, “The Church is called to be an instrument of peace, harmony, and fraternity.”

“We are in a world marked by so many wars, so many conflicts, so many divisions,” he laments, while expressing his belief that “the presence of the gathered Bishops can represent both a symbolic and practical response: peace and hospitality.”

The meeting seeks to deepen ties among Churches that are united by the Portuguese language, reflecting on common challenges, sharing best practices, and promoting concrete projects of pastoral and social cooperation.

“The Church has always sought means and spaces for communion and sharing,” he says in the video recording shared on September 9

Bishop dos Santos goes on to underscore the importance of Episcopal collegiality among Bishops who share the same linguistic and cultural heritage, saying, “It can be geographical zones, or broader regions; in this case, it is the fact of language and culture that unite us.”

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Given that the gathering also addresses migration and considering that most Cape Verdeans live in the diaspora, especially in Portuguese-speaking countries across Africa, Europe, and the Americas, the Bishop of Mindelo reflects on the importance of pastoral care for emigrant communities. 

“Europe is currently receiving people from Cape Verde, from Africa, from Brazil,” he observed, adding that “one of the working sessions will be dedicated to this contemporary phenomenon,” he says.

The Catholic Church leader insists that “hospitality must be carried out responsibly and with attention to cultural dignity.” 

Bishop dos Santos adds, “It is very important that we reflect on the way hospitality is offered, to maintain people’s culture and identity.”

He also says that such meetings are held on a rotating basis among member countries every two to three years.

 “The most recent ones were in Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique; there was also one in Cape Verde,” he noted. “These meetings happen on a rotating basis; not every year, maybe every two or three years,” Bishop dos Santos says.

Meanwhile, the President of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST), Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba, has decried the growing “culture of violence” in the world, marked by wars, injustices, and the loss of the sense of God. 

Speaking during the second day of the ongoing 16th meeting of Catholic Bishops from Portuguese-speaking Countries in Lisbon on Wednesday, September 10, he said humanity is living through a “dense night of darkness” that undermines dignity and social friendship.

Archbishop Imbamba warned that the consequences of this culture include deaths, forced displacements, insecurity, fear, and erosion of ethical values where “lies seem to prevail over truth and hatred over love.” 

He underscored the need for renewed fraternity and solidarity, calling on the Church to witness that peace and harmony are possible.

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Reflecting on the theme of the gathering, the Catholic Archbishop said Lusophone Churches are called to be communities that welcome, share, and promote inclusion. 

Archbishop Imbamba urged Christians to embrace hospitality as a “path to dialogue, justice, and reconciliation,” insisting that it can help foster a more humane and fraternal world.

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.