On 23 January, 2025 the Holy Father erected the diocese of Alto Molócuè in Mozambique, with territory taken from the dioceses of Gurúè and Quelimane, making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nampula.
The Holy Father has appointed the Rev. Fr. Estêvão Ângelo Fernando a diocesan priest of Quelimane diocese as first bishop of the diocese of Alto Molócuè, Mozambique.
Msgr. Estêvão Ângelo Fernando was born on 17 June 1974, in Inhassunge, in the diocese of Quelimane. After attending the Santo Agostinho Preparatory Seminary of Quelimane, he entered the Santo Agostinho Philosophical Seminary of Matola and then the Saint Pius X Theological Seminary of Maputo, obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
On 24 June 2001 he was ordained a priest in the diocese of Quelimane.
After ordination, he held several positions which include being parish vicar and then parish priest of Mocuba (2001-2006), member of the Commission of Southern Africa for Refugees (2002-2006), spiritual director of the Xaverian Apostolic Movement (2003-2010), rector of the Santo Agostinho Preparatory Seminary of Quelimane (2007-2010), chair of the Communication Commission of Quelimane (2010-2011), and collaborator in the parish of Santa Maria Maggiore di Cordenons, diocese of Concordia-Pordenone, Italy (2011-2014).
He was awarded a licentiate in pastoral theology from the Theological Faculty of Triveneto in Padua (2014), and went on to serve as collaborator in the parish of San Francesco d’Assisi in Pordenone, diocese of Concordia-Pordenone, Italy (2015-2019) and formator in the Santo Agostinho Philosophical Seminary of Matola (2020-2021). He obtained a doctorate in pastoral theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
Since 2022 he has been formator and bursar of the Seminário Filosófico São Carlos Lwanga in Nampula.