"And at this time Pope Francis has considered it better that I should go and work in another place. I accept and I thank him for all the support that he has given us, for all the commitment he has shown, and all the concern he has felt and continues to feel for Cabo Delgado, because in addition to praying for them, he wishes to go on helping this people."
Pope Francis called Lisboa in August 2020 after militants linked to the Islamic State seized control of the port city of Mocimboa da Praia. Since then there have been reports that the militants beheaded more than 50 people while carrying out executions in a soccer field in November in the province.
During Holy Week in 2020, insurgents perpetrated attacks on seven towns and villages in Cabo Delgado province, burning down a church on Good Friday, and killing 52 young people who refused to join the terrorist group.
According to Pemba diocese, at least five or six local chapels, as well as some mosques, were burned by the Islamic extremists in 2020, including the historic Sacred Heart of Jesus mission in Nangolo.
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The Vatican has yet to announce who will replace Lisboa as the next bishop of Pemba. Pope Francis has appointed Bishop António Juliasse Ferreira Sandramo, auxiliary bishop of Maputo, as apostolic administrator of the diocese.
"My time in the diocese of Pemba was a great apprenticeship for me. I had always wanted to work in Africa as a missionary, and God granted me this grace. And in the end, I spent almost 20 years there," Lisboa noted.
"Africa will always be a part of me," he said. "When we change our location, change our dwelling, we have to start learning again, to begin anew; we have to respect the people, the culture, the languages, the way of life -- and all these things enrich us. I am quite sure that I have received much more than I have given."
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.