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Good evening everyone, welcome back. to a new episode of Tea with the Missionaries. This is, to tell the truth, the last episode of this Lenten period that we have lived together, an intense time in which we questioned ourselves on the theme of proximity, who is my neighbor? We have tried to reflect on the figure of Jesus as the first witness of charity, of closeness to suffering, and above all we have tried to take a global view, an openness to universality, reaching out to missionaries and people who are in the world, who are about to leave, or who are also here among us and serve precisely for our neighbor. Today with us on this Good Friday is Father Osorio, whom many of us have surely known here in Vittorio Veneto. Hello Father Osorio. Alfonso Citora. >> Hello, hello, hello, hello Maria. Thank you. Here he is, directly from Mozambique, from Maputo, where he was recently appointed auxiliary bishop just over a month ago, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Maputo, right? >> Yes, yes, yes, yes. >> Okay. With Father Osorio there is a great friendship because for a few years, 6-6 years for sure, he was here in Vittorio Veneto at the Consolata house, and therefore he was able to share with us missionary animation, a very intense activity. Then he left for Rome with a rather demanding assignment, and now he has returned to his country of origin, Mozambique. So, how is it, how is it living in new shoes as an auxiliary, even if it's only been a few days, but how are you experiencing it, Father Osorio? Eh, but I am experiencing it serenely, even if a little worried, because the new missionary reality, after 26 years of absence in Mozambique, I thought I would return and be able to share my faith, my missionary experience in the most distant areas, for example like in Cinque where we were, but the Holy Father wanted me to return as auxiliary bishop here in Maputo. And so these are the first days, I can say, because the presentation as bishop, as auxiliary bishop, was in February, and so these are the first days, first weeks of this new experience. Yes, >> beautiful. Yes, I, among other things, came to Mozambique and participated in your episcopal ordination. It was an extraordinary celebration, wasn't it? Very beautiful. There were so many people, immense emotion. How did you experience that moment, Father Osorio? Tell us. I experienced it with great surprise, great surprise, just as it was to receive the news, the intention of the Holy Father to appoint me auxiliary bishop. The same God who surprised me with this novelty is the same God who surprises me with this reality that we have lived. Even for you, even if it was your first time participating in a consecration, an episcopal ordination, for me it was truly surprising, as were the people who were there and how they experienced it. And I remember it was in the sports center, and there were about 5,000 people, so I didn't expect so many people, I didn't expect them to fill the sports center, but this God of surprises surprised me by seeing so many people, but above all so many people who wanted to live that experience as their own, as an experience of that church, the church of Nampula. So, this was truly a surprise and as such, a great joy, the surprise of seeing friends and seeing Cardinal Tacle who came from Rome to ordain me bishop with the imposition of his hands, and also the surprise of seeing you, because a month before it happened, I didn't know, I wasn't sure you were coming, but a few days later you surprised me by saying that on behalf of the bishop of Vittorio Veneto you were coming to participate. So seeing you there was also a great surprise for me, this God of surprises. >> Indeed, it was very beautiful. We remember that your ordination took place in Nampula because you are originally from Nampula, which, as you have always told us, is a bit like your Via Gluck, right? >> Yes, yes, yes. My Via Gluck, we used to sing about it when we were in Cinque, didn't we? And I also used to say, let's go back, let's go to my Via Gluck, where I also saw my faith grow little by little, and I also lived the first steps of my youth and everything else. And since then, I wanted it to be so, I asked my archbishop of Maputo if it were possible to be ordained in Nampula. But this was not only because I was born there, but above all because I thought that the ordination, I desired that the ordination take place around the beginning of December, and therefore around the 3rd, the 3rd of November, when we celebrate the feast of Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the mission, who is also the patron saint of our dicastery for evangelization. But not only that, but also because about 500 years ago, Francis Xavier passed through Nampula, precisely on the island of Mozambique. So, I also said, I wanted to place this ministry of mine under the protection of our dearest saint, Saint Francis Xavier. In addition, as we know, there is the situation in the north of Mozambique in Cabo Delgado, which is creating many displaced people, and many of them have come to Nampula. There is the refugee camp, there is the refugee camp, and so I also wanted, if possible, that the cardinal come to Nampula and have the opportunity to meet these people who are waiting not only for words of consolation but also for hope, also for a word that comes from the Holy Father. So, these are practically the reasons that have driven me, that have motivated my choice of Nampula. Very beautiful. Among other things, there is an article from the Fedes agency that we have put together to tell about this visit to the refugee camp, which I also did together with the cardinal, and where we really found an extremely difficult situation, didn't we? where it emerged that there is a very high number of people who are forced to leave Cabo Delgado precisely because they are attacked by terrorists, and therefore they transfer to these centers. But we are talking about almost 1 million people who have passed through, aren't we, Osorio, so truly many. And even in these days, if I remember correctly, you told me that there are similar events, these events continue. >> Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And we also have, moreover, the Holy Father has alluded to this situation. They attacked a church, they killed people, and so there are so many people who are, it is an exodus of people who are leaving Shuri to go to Namapa, practically across the river to reach Maputo, and these people arriving in Namapa, as we have heard, they think that these armed men are mixed with these people, and the people of Namapa are also fleeing. So it is a terrible, horrible exodus that is creating a very, very sad situation in those areas. Yes, also because there are deaths. Yes, it is not an exodus, as one might say, serene as that related to climate change, but it is precisely an exodus linked also to acts of violence, therefore very heavy. Tell us a bit about Maputo, what is it like, how does your service in the large city of Maputo look, this new adventure of yours which will clearly also keep these situations at heart, but it certainly looks different, doesn't it, compared to this? >> precisely, it is the capital of Mozambique, and therefore I feel it is a capital, a capital, a metropolis, a perimetropolis of these African cities, these nations where practically all the cultures, all the peoples of Mozambique are present, and therefore we can say it is a photograph of Mozambique. And so if you have been to all the provinces, to all the cultures of Mozambique. So I arrived to find the Mozambican people represented in this capital with all their riches, but also with their difficulties. This is the first thing that I care about, and I also care about emphasizing this encounter with so many people, with the Mozambican people who are present, and all the realities, we can say, not only cultural, but also social, socially, but also politically. Almost all the political parties that exist in Mozambique are present here, but also the diplomatic aspect. We have all the embassies here, and these are also places of evangelization. We cannot forget the universities either. We have so many young people, so many young people who are in the capital of Mozambique. And so this is also another field that deserves and would deserve our attention, our evangelization, and the capital is also growing in the peripheral areas. So, where we find the richest, the richest, but also where we find the poorest, where practically young people go more to the peripheral areas, to the areas that are called expansion areas, and in the city, meanwhile, we find families, grandparents, and everything else. And so this is the reality that I am gradually finding, that we are trying to take into account in our process of evangelization. So, in this city where there is Archbishop Don Giancarlo, and we have an auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Tonito, who was appointed in March 2023, and I am the second auxiliary bishop. Many are a bit worried because we have two vacant sees. We have the diocese of Xai-Xai without a bishop, we have the diocese of Inhambane without a bishop, and people ask, despite this, the Holy Father appoints two auxiliary bishops in the capital, but it is especially for the need, as I said, we want to respond to the challenges of this capital, not only the city but also the entire province. This is interesting because many times the figure of the bishop also has a very important social and political commitment. You spoke, didn't you, about a diplomatic role precisely in relation to what is happening in Mozambique, these conflicts, this situation of deep distress that people are experiencing, and therefore being able to work together is a perspective that allows bishops to work differently, more strongly, with more energy, let's say, to address these issues. Is that so, or will you work independently? No, the figure of the auxiliary, so the name itself says what it is, we are auxiliary, the ordinary is the archbishop, and we two are there to assist, to help. We are close collaborators. We will work together, and we have divided areas: Monsignor Tonito is responsible for evangelization, and I am responsible for the administrative part, and I am also the vicar general, so I have been appointed vicar general, while Don Tonito, Monsignor Tonito is the pro-vicar general. To show this synodality, this walking together, this living together, to be able to collaborate and help the bishop in pastoral governance. We have chosen to live all together in the same house, in the same episcopal residence, where we pray together, reflect together, and from here we set out for our various activities. But I want to emphasize this aspect of living together, where at every meal we share what we have experienced and consult each other, in addition to the official meetings we have once a week, but practically every day it is a sharing of experiences where we report to the archbishop, and if we have difficulties, the archbishop also helps us, because the archbishop, Monsignor Gian Carlos, is from this diocese and is 56 years old, and we two are 52 years old, but we come from the north. So, we have Gian Carlos, who was auxiliary bishop of this diocese, then went as apostolic administrator to Beira, and then was appointed bishop of Xai-Xai, and last year he was appointed archbishop of Maputo. So we count on the experience of this archbishop, who also gives us the opportunity to work, and so we have a pastoral plan for confirmations and other masses. Everyone goes according to the program, while for pastoral visits, we all go together to the same parish to live together, to learn the method, and who knows, in 2 or 3 years, each of us will be able to make a pastoral visit, but for now we do it all together to show, to live this synodality, but also to be able to exchange. In these first years, we want to know the pastoral reality of our church well and in depth. >> How beautiful. I believe that this unity is a great message for the population too, isn't it, who meets you and sees you. I saw, didn't I, even during your ordination, there is great devotion towards figures like the bishop, the priests. People have a lot of hope, they believe a lot in these figures, they have great esteem, they support them in every way, and for Nampula, for example, the idea of having a bishop was born there, it is a source of great pride, and I think this is very important. As a Mozambican, as someone who lives there, when you hear about these things that are happening, what do you think? How could we act, or what paths can we take to help people get out of this situation? Even if it is complex, of course, isn't it? >> First of all, as a church, we are a unanimous voice with the entire episcopal conference. The bishop of Pemba also made a very profound message a few days ago, where one cannot say what is happening in Cabo Delgado as if Cabo Delgado were not in Mozambique. So, the war is not only happening in Cabo Delgado, but it is happening in the Republic of Mozambique, in Mozambique, and as such, we are worried, even if we are far away, we are in the capital, I'm talking about 2500 km away, we are also worried and united with the bishop, with the entire church and society, and the bishop also said, even if these so-called terrorists are dying, even if they are dying, that should also be our concern because they are human beings, so they are victims who are human beings, so we are worried. And so the way is dialogue and reconciliation to achieve peace. So, at this point, we who are also in the capital are precisely in a place, I think, a place that is not privileged, but a place where we can also make the voice of these people heard. For example, at my presentation as auxiliary bishop at Mass, there was the former president, there was the prime minister, there were the ministers, there were the mayors of Nampula, of Maputo, and I had the opportunity to speak with them, to share with them. I also spoke about peace, about cosmic universal peace, precisely to emphasize that we also need this peace, and the path forward is dialogue and reconciliation. So, from here we suffer with our people, we believe, and I, as much as possible, try to send messages because this situation we are living is little known. Someone wrote to me a few days ago and said, "Osorio, we hear these things from you, is it true? Because the world now, with the situation in Ukraine, with the situation in Israel, and so these small nations that are also going through a difficult time are forgotten." And so, as a bishop who lived in Italy, in Europe, I also lived in Congo, I try to send these messages to all my friends to share in this suffering, to ask for prayers, to say, "Don't forget us, we also need your prayers and your help." And so, and here I think it is a grace for me to be in this capital and to be able to meet these people, to be able to also in the future have the possibility to meet diplomats, ambassadors, and then I will have the opportunity to speak. They listen, but they seek these ways, they seek to identify concretely who these people are who are behind these wars. And what worries us even more is that when these riches are found, precisely at this moment when the wars begin. So, behind these wars, these atrocities, there are the riches found in these parts of Mozambique. And so, these riches, which could be a source of great joy and fortune for many, many Mozambican people, are the cause of suffering, of tormenting wars, of so many people, children, women, and so on. And so, what are the ways to follow so that these riches become a gift for the Mozambican people, not a cause of wars? This is truly a challenge for us, here where we are, and because we find these great people, and so I think we have the mission to say, as God said, "I have heard the suffering of my people." And so, we also have, practically every week, these meetings with these politicians, with these ministers, with the government, and we always want to say that we have heard, we have seen the suffering of our people, and we ask them to seek ways to truly find the peace that Mozambique needs. >> Absolutely. Thank you, Osorio, because you know that our diocese of Vittorio Veneto is particularly linked to Mozambique precisely because of events that happened 2 years ago, the death of Sister Maria De Coppi, precisely for these reasons, doesn't she? She is a martyr, so she, as it were, reminds us that this situation exists, it is like a little light that tells us, "Don't forget our people." And she called them that, by the way, and if I remember correctly, when you came to Italy, you were already in Italy, weren't you? Before knowing about your appointment, you were with us celebrating the vigil of remembrance of Sister Maria De Coppi. It was around September last year, you were with us and you told us in detail, very thoroughly, about these aspects, that it is precisely the wealth of Mozambique that makes it a victim of this war, and therefore it is very sad, isn't it? Because the goods that exist in Mozambique are many, yet there are so many people who are forced to flee, to move, and to be unable to react to this situation because they are in danger, fundamentally, aren't they? So, in a condition of hardship, of great suffering as well. >> Yes, yes. And I remember that very well, and I also consider it a sign of the times, a sign of the times, because it was precisely on September 7th, no, September 6th, when I came to Vittorio Veneto for the vigil, on the 7th I returned, and on the 8th Cardinal Tacle called me to inform me of the Holy Father's intention, this, therefore, to appoint me auxiliary bishop. So, I lived alone in my heart, and as Luke also says, Mary kept all these words in her heart. I also kept all those words in my heart while I prayed, but I made this connection, and I had participated in the vigil where I also gave testimony about this sister, this martyr, and then the day I was returning to Mozambique for vacation, I had a flight at 4 o'clock, and at half past three they gave me this news. So, on one hand, the prayer meeting in Vittorio Veneto for our dear martyr of our people, and on the other hand, as I was leaving, and so I don't take this for granted, and therefore I don't think she is saying to me, "Osorio, try to be the voice of those who have no voice," no? Beautiful words you said, and I am also convinced that Sister Maria was present, and in you she recognizes an important strength, an important presence for the Mozambican people. So, we are at the end of this very beautiful, very intense episode. Among other things, I am connected to Mozambique, first because you are there, but also because of Maria, and because it is a truly beautiful land that I have visited another time, so it is rich in beauty, in a sense of welcome, of belonging. Very, very beautiful. So, I ask you for a quick message for this Easter, because today is Good Friday, a closing message, a small missionary greeting, if you can give it to us, and then we will mention the possibility of this summer trip for young people, because we will probably come to visit you this summer. >> Mh, Yes, yes. And so, my message would be that of Pope Francis, no? that we are on Friday and we are walking towards the Sunday of the resurrection. And so, my first message for all of us is that we Christians cannot be those who live Good Friday without sunset. And so, this is my first invitation, which I also extend to my people, to my people: despite these sufferings, let us not make our lives a Good Friday without sunset. So, we want to go beyond Good Friday and reach the Sunday of resurrection, of joy. And the second invitation is to live this joy of the Gospel, therefore the joy of being a missionary, no? a church going out to bring the joy of the good news, which is the joy of the Lord. It is not that he is dead, but the Lord is alive. He is alive among us, and the Lord gives us life, and we must bring this life to all people. So, best wishes for being those who go beyond Good Friday, and therefore not to be on Good Friday without sunset, but to reach the joy of the Sunday of resurrection and to bring the Gospel to all people. Thank you, Father, a beautiful wish for this upcoming Easter, so beautiful, very beautiful, thank you, and as I said before, we will probably see each other again this summer because we have a trip planned with a group of young people to come to Maputo, of course, in a station, we will come to visit the diocese of Maputo in particular, then we will see if it is appropriate or not to move to other places, right, Osorio? M >> Yes, yes, yes. We are thinking about it, I spoke with the auxiliary bishop, and he was also very pleased about this. We are already imagining, seeing where it would be possible for you to have this experience, especially here in Maputo, because in Nampula, further north, the situation is not like that. So, it's better to stay here, and then we'll see in the future, then we can think about going further, but for now, because I also want to enjoy your presence from the first to the last day. >> Thank you, and we know, and we also want to enjoy your presence from the first to the last day. So, we say goodbye to you, we truly wish everyone a Happy Easter. This is the last episode of Tea with the Missionaries. We will see each other in October, probably. Thank you, Father, to you, Osorio, Your Excellency, Father Osorio. Now we have to change the stimulus, but in reality, friendship is stronger than the commitment there is, so how beautiful. I want to take this opportunity to thank Federico Campo dall'Orto, who is here with us in the control room, sipping tea behind the cameras, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, Federico, because if this broadcast works, it's thanks to him. Yes, it's because we are the protagonists, but the big job is Federico's, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, and of course, I also thank my husband Joseph because he allows us to do it at home, and that is not a given, so thank you from the bottom of my heart. A big hug, Father Osorio, greetings to everyone, and until the next episode of Tea with the Missionaries. Thank you, thank you. >> Thank you, Father Osario. All the best, good missionary service. Here we are. >> Next time also Giuseppe here. Thank you. Happy Easter. Happy Easter. Yes, yes, >> yes, yes, yes. >> Okay. Bye Sorio. Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye.