A Catholic bishop recently appointed by Pope Leo XIV to lead the Diocese of Quelimane in central Mozambique has been shot dead in what authorities and church leaders have described as a mysterious killing.
Bishop Osorio Citora Afonso, 54, was found dead at his residence in the city of Quelimane on Saturday after being shot in the chest.
Confirming the incident, a spokesperson for Mozambique’s Criminal Investigation Service, Maximino Amílcar, said preliminary findings indicated that the cleric was killed by gunfire.
“He was shot in the chest, probably with a single bullet,” Amílcar told journalists outside the bishop’s residence.
Describing the incident as “murder by gunshot,” the investigator added that authorities were still working to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“It is not easy at this time to give details,” he said.
The tragic death has drawn reactions from both the Vatican and the Mozambican government.
In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Leo XIV had received news of the bishop’s death “with deep sorrow.”
The Holy See described the incident as “the grave act of violence that led to the death of His Excellency, Monsignor Osorio Citora Afonso.”
Mozambique’s President, Daniel Chapo, also expressed shock over the killing, describing the bishop’s death as a major loss to the country.
“I express my deep sadness,” the president said, adding that Afonso’s death represents “an irreparable loss for Mozambican society.”
The Episcopal Conference of Mozambique said the bishop was discovered lifeless under circumstances that remain unclear.
According to the church body, Bishop Afonso was “found lifeless and in mysterious circumstances that need to be made clear.”
Born in Mozambique, Afonso dedicated decades of his life to Catholic ministry, serving in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy before returning to his homeland.
He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo in 2023 and elevated to full bishop the following year. In July 2025, Pope Leo XIV transferred him to the Diocese of Quelimane, where he had since overseen the affairs of the Catholic Church in the region.
Security agencies have launched investigations into the killing, while church leaders and worshippers across Mozambique continue to mourn the death of the cleric, whose murder has sent shockwaves through the country’s Catholic community.
Mozambique is home to one of Africa’s largest Catholic populations, with Catholics accounting for roughly a quarter of the country’s population.
