Roman Catholic Diocese of Nacala

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nacala (Latin: Nacalan(a)) is a diocese located in the city of Nacala in the ecclesiastical province of Nampula in Mozambique.

Diocese of Nacala Dioecesis Nacalana
Location
Country	Mozambique
Metropolitan	Nampula
Statistics
Area	26,000 km2 (10,000 sq mi)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2004) 2,100,000 276,000 (13.1%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Alberto Vera Aréjula, O. de M.
Bishops emeritus	Germano Grachane, C.M. Coat of arms of the Diocese of Nacala

History

• October 11, 1991: Established as Diocese of Nacala from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nampula

Leadership

• Bishops of Nacala (Roman rite)
  • Bishop Germano Grachane, C.M. (October 11, 1991 - April 25, 2018)
  • Bishop Alberto Vera Aréjula, O. de M. (since April 25, 2018)

Persecution and insecurity

In September 2022 the Diocese of Nacala began to be affected by the Islamist insurgency that had begun in 2017 in Cabo Delgado, proving that the terrorists, affiliated with Ansar al-Sunna, were spreading South. An attack on a Catholic Mission in Chipene left the entire premises destroyed, and the insurgents murdered a Catholic nun, Sister Maria de Coppi.^[1] Later, the same insurgents killed at least three Christians in surrounding settlements, slitting their throats, according to Bishop Alberto Vera Aréjula.^[2] This marked a difference in strategy by the terrorists, who until now had mostly refrained from specifically targeting Christians and Christian symbols and buildings.

See also

• Roman Catholicism in Mozambique