DILI, 08 June 2026 (TATOLI) – Bishop Osório Cítora Afonso of the Diocese of Quelimane in central Mozambique was shot dead at his residence in the early hours of Saturday, 6 June, in what the country’s Catholic bishops have described as “mysterious circumstances.”
Bishop Afonso, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV as Bishop of the Diocese of Quelimane in July 2025, was found dead in a corridor of the episcopal residence. Authorities have not yet identified the perpetrator, and the motive for the killing remains unknown.
In an official statement, the President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, Archbishop Inácio Saure, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the prelate was found “lifeless and in strange circumstances that have yet to be clarified.”
Although only limited details about the incident have been released, authorities reported that Bishop Afonso sustained a gunshot wound to the chest near the heart.
In a separate statement to ACN Portugal, Archbishop Saure said the killing had left the Catholic Church in Mozambique “in a state of shock.” He called for “the serenity of faith and fraternal solidarity” from all in the face of this “sad event.”
The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Mozambique’s primary judicial police unit responsible for investigating serious and organized crime, has opened an investigation, according to Fides News Agency.
Following news of Bishop Afonso’s death, Mozambique’s President, Daniel Chapo, issued a statement expressing his “deep sorrow and consternation.”
President Chapo described the loss as “irreparable” for Mozambican society and the Christian community, noting that Bishop Cítora Afonso had “distinguished himself throughout his life by his humility, pastoral dedication, and commitment to preaching the values of peace and reconciliation.”
After learning of the killing of Bishop Afonso, Pope Leo XIV mourned his death, which authorities said occurred during a home invasion.
According to a press release from the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV had “learned with sorrow of the grave act of violence” that took Bishop Afonsoʼs life.
Pope Leo “joins in prayer with the people of the Dioceses and of Mozambique in this hour of bewilderment, so that the Lord may give them consolation, so that he may guard in his love every man and woman and stop the hand of violence,” the statement said.
Bishop Afonso, 54, was a member of the Consolata Missionaries and had served as Bishop of the Diocese of Quelimane since his appointment in 2025.
He was also appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira in April, succeeding Archbishop Cláudio Dalla Zuanna, who stepped down for health reasons.
Bishop Afonso was ordained a priest in 2002 as a member of the Consolata Missionaries. He studied in Rome and Jerusalem before being appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, in 2024.
TATOLI
