The bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique (CEM), in communion with the Consolata Missionaries and the Afonso family, announce that the funeral of Mons. Osório Citora Afonso, IMC, Bishop of Quelimane, who was murdered on 6 June, will take place on Friday, 12 June 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (local time).
The news was released by the CEM through a communiqué published yesterday evening (8 June). The funeral Mass, at the Parish of Nossa Senhora do Livramento, Cathedral of Quelimane, will be presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Mozambique, Mons. Luis-Miguel Muñoz Cárdaba.
Following the official funeral Mass, the urn containing the remains of Mons. Osório Citora Afonso will be flown to Nampula, where a second funeral ceremony will take place in the presence of his family, followed by burial.
The communiqué further states that, upon arrival in Nampula, the body will be laid out at the Consolata School in the Nampaco neighbourhood, for a final farewell by the faithful and family members.
On Saturday, 13 June, at 7:30 a.m., the body will be transferred to the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima – Cathedral of Nampula, where Mons. Osório was baptised, confirmed, and ordained a priest. At 10:00 a.m., the funeral Mass will be celebrated, presided over by the Archbishop of Nampula and President of the CEM, Mons. Inácio Saure, IMC.
The body will then be interred in the Clergy Cemetery of the Archdiocese of Nampula, at the Mater Apostolorum Propaedeutic Seminary, in the Nampaco neighbourhood.
“In this moment of grief, we unite with the universal Church, and with the Church of Mozambique in particular, in prayer and in thanksgiving to God for the life and mission of Mons. Osório, and for the consolation of his family and the religious family to which he belonged,” the bishops state.
“We invite all the faithful and people of good will to live through this time with a spirit of faith, hope, and communion, entrusting the soul of Mons. Osório to the Lord of Life, who never abandons his faithful servants. Rest in peace, Mons. Osório! Your witness remains alive in the Church and in the heart of the Mozambican people in particular,” concludes the communiqué, signed by Mons. Inácio Saure.
* Fr. Jaime C. Patias, Office for Communication.
