A Doctorate Honoris Causa Awarded to Fr. Aldo Marchesini, SCJ

We are delighted to announce that our Dehonian confrere, Fr. Aldo Marchesini, SCJ, will be awarded the prestigious degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by Universidade Licungo in recognition of his significant contributions to scientific, academic, and social development.

Event Details:

Date: September 10, 2026

Time: 08:00 AM

In-Person Location: Coalane Campus Auditorium, Universidade Licungo (Quelimane, Mozambique)

Online Participation: Fr. Aldo Marchesini will connect live online from Bologna, Italy, to join the ceremony hosted by the university in Mozambique.

Join us in celebrating this special recognition of Fr. Aldo’s dedicated service for Health.

 Who is Father Aldo Marchesini, SCJ – Priest, Surgeon, and Missionary?

Education and formation

Originally from Bologna, where he was born in September 1941, Aldo Marchesini pursued a spiritual commitment alongside a medical academic career. Thanks to a papal dispensation granted by Pope John XXIII, he was able to combine religious life within the Dehonian Congregation with his medical studies. He earned his degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna in 1966 with highest honors, before being ordained a priest at the end of 1969.

In preparation for his future work in Sub-Saharan Africa, he furthered his training in tropical diseases in Lisbon, trained in leprosy treatment in Ethiopia, and gained his first surgical experience in Uganda.

Mission

Starting in late 1974, he settled permanently in Mozambique. There, he practiced as a doctor in remote areas (notably in Tete, Mocuba, Gurué, and Quelimane), often serving as the region’s sole surgeon. He focused a major part of his work on obstetrics and maternal health in order to curb childbirth-related mortality in precarious healthcare facilities.

Challenges

In 2003, he contracted the HIV virus during an emergency surgical operation on a seropositive patient. This event led him to publicly denounce the inequity in access to medical treatment between the Global North and South. In partnership with the Community of Sant’Egidio, he helped establish a clinic providing free antiretroviral therapies in Quelimane—an initiative that served as a model for local public health policies.

Honors and Awards

His humanitarian and medical commitment was recognized through several honors, including the United Nations Population Award in 2014 and the honorary citizenship of the city of Quelimane. During his retirement in Bologna, he was awarded another honor from Licungo University in Mozambique, presented on September 10th.