A Catholic bishop recently appointed to central Mozambique by Pope Leo XIV was shot dead at his home on Saturday in what the country’s episcopal conference described as “mysterious circumstances”.
Bishop Osorio Citora Afonso, 54, was shot in the chest, “probably with a single bullet,” Maximino Amilcar, a spokesman for the Criminal Investigation Service, told reporters outside the senior clergyman’s residence in Quelimane.
He described the killing as a “gunshot murder,” adding that “it is not easy at this time to give details.”
Mozambique President Daniel Chapo expressed “deep sadness” over Afonso’s death, calling it “an irreparable loss for Mozambican society.”
Around a quarter of Mozambique’s population — a former Portuguese colony — is believed to be Catholic, according to the most recent census conducted nearly a decade ago.
Afonso, who was born in Mozambique, served in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy before becoming auxiliary bishop in Maputo in 2023. He was appointed bishop the following year.
In July 2025, Pope Leo XIV transferred him to the diocese of Quelimane.
The Episcopal Conference of Mozambique said Afonso was “found lifeless in mysterious circumstances that need to be clarified.”
AFP
