Dinamismos eclesiais da comunhão, participação, missão e autossustentabilidade económica da igreja no contexto da diocese de Pemba

Abstract

The ecclesial dynamisms of communion, participation, and mission are the inner, active forces that animate the life of the Church and enable her to remain ever more faithful to her calling. Communion strengthens and expresses the unity of the Whole Church, grounded in the Most Holy Trinity. Participation calls for co-responsibility, as a necessary condition of all the baptized, while mission impels the Church to go forth beyond herself to proclaim, witness, “the Church does not exist for herself”: she lives to evangelize and to bear witness to the Gospel of Christ. This study reflect on the Church´s identity and its constitutive dynamics Within the Mozambican context, with particular reference to the concrete reality of the Diocese of Pemba. The research is organized into three chapters. The first chapter examines the theological and pastoral foundations of communion, participation, and mission. The Trinity is presented as the paradigm of perfect community and the wellspring of the ecclesial life. The chapter also considers the experience of the earliest Christian communities, the Church of the Second Vatican Council, and the ongoing synodal process. The second chapter explores the ecclesial dynamisms of the Church in Mozambique, offering a brief historical reading of the Christian faith in the country, the National Pastoral Assemblies, and synodal reflections that have shaped ecclesial life. It further addresses the tension between evangelization, colonization, and local culture, highlighting the pastoral challenges faced after independence and the search for the Church´s proper identity in Mozambique. Finally, the third chapter focuses on the context of the Diocese of Pemba. It argues for the need to integrate communion, participation, and mission with economic self-sustainability, an indispensable condition for pastoral vitality. In this horizon, special emphasis is placed on the revitalization of the tithe as a concrete expression of participation and co-responsability, and as a pathway that strengthens the Churchs´s mission and life of her communities.

Date of Award	28 Nov 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Luís M. Figueiredo Rodrigues (Supervisor)