Catholic bishop shot dead at home after warning against anti-Christian violence
Mozambique Bishop Osório Citora Afonso was killed after gunmen entered his residence and opened fire weeks after he warned that Christians were being killed by Islamist insurgents.
Bishop Osório Citora AfonsoDiocese
of Quelimane
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Mon Jun 8, 2026 - 8:16 am EDT
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QUELIMANE, Mozambique (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Osório Citora Afonso was killed in a shooting at his residence over the weekend, local authorities confirmed.
On June 6, Afonso of the Diocese of Quelimane was shot and killed at his official residence in the early hours after unidentified assailants entered the property and opened fire, according to Mozambican authorities. He was 54 years old. The National Criminal Investigation Service in Zambézia Province confirmed that the bishop died from gunshot wounds sustained during the attack.
“The Service has already initiated investigative procedures to clarify the case and identify the perpetrators,” said Maximino Amílcar, spokesperson for the National Criminal Investigation Service.
Officials also said an undetermined number of attackers gained access to the residence and shot Afonso in the chest. Investigators have opened an inquiry to establish the circumstances of the incident and identify those responsible but have not announced any arrests.
Archbishop Inácio Saúre, president of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, announced the news in a statement issued on June 6 and said that Afonso had been discovered dead under “unusual circumstances” that had not yet been fully explained.
“At this very troubled moment, I appeal for serenity in faith and fraternal solidarity, in the hope that we will be able, in due course, to provide accurate and detailed information regarding this sad event,” Saúre said.
Pope Leo XIV reacted to the “serious act of violence,” offering his “prayer with the people of the dioceses and of Mozambique in this time of bewilderment” and “asking the Lord to grant them consolation, to keep every man and woman in His love, and to stay the hand of the violent.”
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Afonso had recently spoken publicly about the deteriorating security situation in Mozambique’s northern province. On May 12, in comments reported by Agenzia Fides, he warned that Islamist insurgent attacks continued to affect local communities, causing deaths, destruction, and displacement. He described the situation as increasingly difficult for residents living in affected areas.
“The situation seems out of control,” Afonso said in the May 12 report. “The attacks continue, always in the same areas, and the population is terrified. Women, in particular, are experiencing very difficult situations. Beyond what is reported in the news, the destruction continues; there are many victims and Christians who have been killed. I invite everyone to pray for us.”
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Less than two weeks later, during a pastoral visit to the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in the Diocese of Quelimane on May 23, he again called for efforts to halt the Muslim violence. “It is necessary to stop the violence so that our brothers do not continue dying like chickens. We do not want this,” the bishop said. “The Church cannot remain silent in the face of violence in Cabo Delgado! Do you know that they are destroying the Church, that they are killing Christians? Cabo Delgado cannot be treated as a reality distant from the heart of the Church in Mozambique!”
On July 25, 2025, Afonso was appointed bishop of Quelimane, becoming the fourth bishop to lead the diocese. More recently, on April 10, 2026, he was also entrusted with the role of apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira following the resignation of Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna.
TOPICS
TAGGED AS
- Africa
- Catholic
- Catholic Church
- Christian Persecution
- Church
- Inácio Saúre
- Islam
- Mozambique
- Murder
- National Criminal Investigation Service
- Osório Citora Afonso
- Quelimane
