“Shot in the heart”: Catholic bishop killed by armed men in his…

A bishop was murdered in his own home.

Bishop Osório Cîtora Afonso of Quelimane died on Saturday morning after gunmen shot him in the heart inside his residence, the Catholic Church confirmed. He was 54 years old.

Catholic World News reported the killing on June 6, 2026.

The attackers, armed with an AKM-type rifle, climbed the walls of the bishop’s residence, vandalized the electrical security system and opened fire.

Announcement

No arrests were made. The authorities are investigating.

The crime stunned the Catholic community of Mozambique and beyond.

Born in 1972, Afonso was ordained a priest in 2002.

He subsequently served as an official in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization before Pope Francis appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo in 2023.

Just last July he was installed as bishop of Quelimane, a coastal town battling poverty and insurgency.

He barely spent a year as bishop. Colleagues describe him as a quiet pastor, who moved from the corridors of Rome to the forefront of pastoral work in his homeland.

“The crime was committed… by individuals who scaled the wall of his residence,” the Portuguese Catholic news agency reported.

The image is disturbing: a shepherd killed where he should be safest.

Mozambique’s security forces did not say whether robberies, insurrection or targeted violence motivated the attack.

For now, Quelimane mourns a bishop who returned home to serve – and was shot and killed in his residence.

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