Mons. Osório Citora Afonso, 54 years old, a Consolata missionary, bishop of the Diocese of Quelimane and Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira in Mozambique, was found dead in the episcopal residence today, June 6, 2026.
In this video, during a pastoral visit carried out yesterday, Mons. Osório removes his sandals to sit and dialogue with Muslims. He was commenting on the latest Pastoral Note of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, published on May 13, 2026, in which the bishops called for an end to the violence in Cabo Delgado, warning against the extremism and violence afflicting the region, particularly against Christian communities.
We transcribe Mons. Osório’s speech from the video.
“In this letter (of the CEM?), we recall the past. In the past, in Mozambique, there was never any conflict because of religion. We never heard of a Muslim killing another Muslim. We lived together. Isn’t that so? But today we hear other things, don’t we? Don’t we hear that in the name of religion they are killing us? Are we happy about it? No, we are not. Because in our African or Mozambican culture we lived together. We go to the market together, we go to the hospital together, but when the time for prayer comes, each one goes to his own place of worship.
So, let religion not divide us, my brothers. I ask you: we can never accept that religion divides us, but that religion unites us. Isn’t that so? Then you pray and we pray too. This is the meaning of my visit. I said to myself: my brothers over there live together with Muslims. There is no market only for Muslims — the market is for Catholics, Christians, and Muslims. Isn’t that so?
The hospital is for everyone together. So I said: I will go there to speak with them, to greet them, and to say that I want them to pray for me and that I too pray for them. And all of us will pray for peace in Mozambique, we will pray for the well-being of Mozambique, we will pray that there may be justice in Mozambique. This, then, is the reason for my visit here. And by removing my sandals, I was recalling that our God asks of us humility — He asks us to recognize that we are all brothers.”
(Mons. Osório Citora Afonso)
