Christian leaders across Africa have called for a full investigation into the killing of a Mozambican bishop who was shot dead at his residence, describing the attack as an assault on peace, human dignity and religious freedom.
Bishop Osório Citora Afonso of the Diocese of Quelimane was killed in the early hours of June 6 after armed assailants entered his residence in the city of Quelimane, eastern Mozambique.
Authorities have yet to identify those responsible or establish a motive for the attack, Aid to Christians in Need (ACN) reports.
The killing has prompted condemnation from church leaders throughout the continent.
The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) urged Mozambican authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
In a statement SECAM said: “This heinous act, committed against a pastor of God’s people, constitutes not only an attack on the life and dignity of a devout servant of the Gospel, but also an assault on the fundamental values of peace, justice, human dignity, and religious freedom – essential principles for the well-being and development of any society.
“We vehemently and unreservedly condemn this barbaric crime. No religious leader, regardless of their faith or denomination, should be a target of violence.”
The organisation said religious leaders who devote their lives to reconciliation, education, unity, charity and community service should be protected rather than subjected to violence.
It also stressed the importance of safeguarding religious freedom and ensuring that people are able to practise their faith without fear.
“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right and a pillar of any democratic and peaceful society,” it stated.
SECAM called on the Mozambican government to carry out an immediate, transparent and independent inquiry.
“The people of Mozambique, the Catholic Church, and the International Community deserve the truth,” the statement said.
Bishop Afonso, 54, was widely known within the Catholic Church in Mozambique and internationally.
According to Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service, the attackers reportedly entered the property by climbing over the perimeter wall and deactivating the property’s security system.
Investigators said the bishop was shot in the chest inside a corridor of his residence. Reports indicate the assailants used AK-M assault rifles during the attack.
Ordained to the priesthood in 2002, Bishop Afonso later served in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelisation, working in the Section for First Evangelisation and the New Particular Churches.
In 2023 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Maputo.
Earlier this year, he was named Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira, adding to his pastoral responsibilities.
The bishop’s death has generated an outpouring of grief among Catholics in Mozambique and beyond.
Speaking during a recent visit to Spain on June 7, Pope Leo XIV expressed sorrow over the killing and said he was praying for the people of Mozambique and the Diocese of Quelimane.
The Pope also prayed for comfort for those affected by the tragedy and called for an end to violence.
The killing comes against the backdrop of ongoing insecurity in parts of Mozambique.
Since 2017, an Islamist insurgency centred largely in the country’s northern regions has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than one million people, although authorities have not suggested any link between the insurgency and the bishop’s murder.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Bishop Afonso’s death remain ongoing.
