Catholic Church Bishop Ozorio Sitora Afonso has been found dead in Mozambique.

This was reported by Vatican News.

The body of the Mozambican prelate was discovered on 6 June at the episcopal residence in Quelimane. According to information presented at a press conference by officials of the National Criminal Investigation Service, the prelate sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and died at the scene. The circumstances and motives of the crime remain unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his condolences following the murder of Monsignor Ozorio Sitora Afonso, Bishop of Quelimane and Apostolic Administrator of Beira. The Holy Father assured the faithful of both dioceses and the entire people of Mozambique of his spiritual closeness and prayers.

Monsignor Sitora Afonso served as Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique. From 2017 to 2023, he worked in the Dicastery for Evangelization, within the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

Mozambique’s President Daniel Francisco Chapo also expressed profound sorrow and condolences, describing the bishop’s death as “an irreparable loss not only for the Christian community but for Mozambican society as a whole.”

Christianity is the most widespread religion in Mozambique, professed by between 46 and 62 per cent of the country’s population. Catholics account for approximately 27 per cent of the population.

In recent years, Christians in Mozambique have faced threats and religious violence. In the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where Muslims constitute the majority of the population, a radical Islamist group affiliated with ISIS operates. Militants regularly attack villages, destroy churches, and persecute Christians.