Africa-Press. Mozambique’s bishop, Ozório Sitora Afonso, was killed inside his home in an incident described by the country’s bishops’ council as occurring under “mysterious circumstances.”
The 54-year-old bishop died after being shot in the chest “likely by a single bullet,” according to a spokesperson for the criminal investigation office, Maximino Amílcar, who spoke to reporters outside the residence of the late clergyman in the city of Kilimani.
Amílcar characterized the incident as “a murder by gunfire,” adding that “it is not easy at this time to provide additional details” regarding the event.
The bishops’ council in Mozambique stated that Afonso “was found dead under mysterious circumstances that need clarification.”
Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo issued a statement expressing his “deep sorrow” over Afonso’s death, describing his passing as “an irreplaceable loss for the Mozambican community.”
It is believed that about a quarter of the population of this African nation, which was a former Portuguese colony, practices Catholicism, according to the latest census conducted about a decade ago.
Bishop Ozório Sitora was born in Mozambique and served in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Italy before being appointed as an auxiliary bishop in the capital, Maputo, in 2023, and then elevated to the rank of bishop the following year.
In July 2025, Pope Leo XIV transferred Afonso to the archdiocese of Kilimani in Mozambique, where he served until his death.
