Lucio Andrice Muandula (born 9 October 1959) is a Mozambican prelate of the Catholic Church who has been bishop of

Xai-Xai Xai-Xai () is a city in the south of Mozambique. Until 1975, the city was named João Belo. It is the capital of Gaza Province. As of 2007 it has a population of 116,343. History Portuguese rule Xai-Xai, formerly João Belo, developed in the ...

since 2004. He was president of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique from 2009 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2021 and president of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) from 2019 to 2022. He has been second vice president of the

Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar or SECAM () is an agency of the Catholic Church that comprises the bishops of Africa. History The SECAM was born, on the occasion of the Second Vatican Council, to express the will ...

(SECAM) since 2019.

Biography

Lucio Andrice Muandula was born in

Maputo Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

, then known as Lourenço Marques, on 9 October 1959, the second of eleven children. He was ordained a priest on 14 May 1989 by Cardinal

Alexandre José Maria dos Santos Alexandre José Maria dos Santos (18 March 1924 – 29 September 2021) was a Mozambican Roman Catholic cardinal. He was the first native cardinal of Mozambique. Ecclesiastical career Dos Santos was born in Zavala, Mozambique, Zavala, Mozambiqu ...

. He served as parish vicar of the cathedral parish as well as secretary and chancellor of the archdiocese from 1989 to 1991. He was professor of theology at the "Sant'Agostino" Major Seminary for the year 1991–1992. Studying in Rome from 1992 to 2003, he earned a licentiate in sacred scripture at the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies located in Rome. Founded in 1909 by Pope Pius X, it is an institution of the ...

and a doctorate in biblical theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. He returned to Mozambique in July 2003 to become parish priest of the cathedral parish in Maputo and a professor at the "San Pio X" Interdiocesan Theological Seminary. On 12 July 2004,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed him Bishop of Xai-Xai. He received his episcopal consecration on 24 October from Archbishop emeritus dos Santos, assisted by Francisco Chimoio, Archbishop of Maputo and

Júlio Duarte Langa Júlio Duarte Langa (born 27 October 1927) is a Mozambican prelate of the Catholic Church. He was bishop of Xai-Xai from 24 October 1976 until 12 July 2004. He was made a cardinal in 2015. Education Júlio Duarte Langa was born on 27 October ...

, the retiring bishop of Xai-Xai. He was installed in Xai-Xai on 7 November. At the synod of bishops on the eucharist on 6 October 2005 he pled for an "urgent and necessary" call for "the fair distribution of priests in the world". In 2009, he visited the Diocese of Formosa in Argentina, which sends missionaries to Xia-Xia and others areas of Mozambique. On 31 January 2013,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

named him a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants. As president of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique he participated in the 2014 session of the Synod on the Family. On 9 October, he delivered a homily as the morning session began, reflecting on the need to "let ourselves be guided by biblical wisdom" as "we are called to establish a dialogue of faith" even as "one risks losing one's trust in God, to adopt a completely pagan lifestyle". On 10 November 2018, he was elected president of the Mozambique Bishops Conference. In July 2019 he was elected to a three-year term as second vice president of SECAM. He was elected to a second term in July 2022. In September 2019, he was host to

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

, who met privately with a delegation from Xia-Xia in recognition of a pairing established between the Diocese of Xia-Xia and the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires before he became pope. In 2019 he was elected president of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA), and he presided over its 2022 plenary assembly in Namibia. On 15 March 2023, Cardinal Mario Grech named him to the six-member preparatory commission for the next Synod of Bishops.

References

External links

Bishop Lucio Andrice Muandula
Catholic Hierarchy {{DEFAULTSORT:Muandula, Lucio Andrice Living people 1959 births People from Maputo Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni