Field tracker · Mozambique · Sub-Saharan Africa

AFRICA/MOZAMBIQUE - The final farewell to Bishop Osório Citora Afonso, remembered by many who knew him

Quelimane – The Church of Quelimane mourns as it receives the mortal remains of Osório Citora Afonso, Bishop of the Diocese of Quelimane, Apostolic Administrator of Beira, and Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, who was brutally murdered on Saturday, June 6. “May his soul rest in peace” is one of the many messages of condolence from those still in shock for the death of their bishop. A statement released by the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique details the funeral rites that will take place in the coming days. Today, June 12, a Mass will be presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Mozambique, Dom Luiz-Miguel Muñoz Cardaba, at the parish of Nossa Senhora do Livramento, the Cathedral of Quelimane. Following the Mass, Bishop Osório’s remains will be flown to the Diocese of Nampula. The prelates also reported that upon arrival in Nampula, Father Osório's hometown, his body will lie in state at the Consolata School in the Nampaco neighborhood for the final farewells of the faithful and family. On Saturday, June 13, the body will be transferred to Our Lady of Fatima Parish – Nampula Cathedral, where Father Osório was baptized, confirmed, and ordained a priest. A funeral Mass will follow, presided over by the Archbishop of Nampula and President of the Mexican Episcopal Conference , Archbishop Inácio Saure, IMC. Afterward, the body will be buried in the Clergy Cemetery of the Archdiocese of Nampula, next to the Mater Apostolorum Propaedeutic Seminary in the Nampaco neighborhood. Among the numerous initiatives to remember Father Osório in Italy, the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto-Treviso, where the prelate previously served, has organized several prayer services in his memory. A vigil is planned for Thursday, June 18, at the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, presided over by Bishop Riccardo Battocchio, in collaboration with the Diocese of Treviso and the Consolata Missionaries of Casa Milaico in Nervesa della Battaglia, Treviso. Additionally, a Mass for Father Osório will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 30, at the parish church of Nervesa della Battaglia, presided over by the Bishop of Treviso, Michele Tomasi. The Pan-African Catholic Theological and Pastoral Network joins the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar , the Catholic Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of Mozambique, and all people of good will in mourning the tragic assassination of the Bishop of Quelimane. “As SECAM has pointed out, this ‘atrocious act, perpetrated against a pastor of God’s people, constitutes not only an attack on the life and dignity of a devoted servant of the Gospel, but also an assault on the values of peace, justice, human dignity, and religious freedom, essential for the prosperity of any society.’” “The death of Bishop Afonso fits into a worrying pattern that has emerged in recent years throughout Africa,” reads the statement released by PACTPAN. “Too many bishops, priests, religious men and women, catechists, pastoral agents, and ordinary faithful have become victims of violence. In many cases, investigations remain incomplete, and families and communities are left without answers. The murder of pastors of God’s people is never just an attack on an individual. It is an attack on the moral conscience of society and on the very sanctity of human life. We know that this tragedy goes far beyond attacks on Church leaders.” Across our continent, countless ordinary men, women, and children are victims every day of murder, terrorism, banditry, organized crime, political violence, kidnapping, domestic violence, disappearances, and armed conflict. The assassination of Bishop Osório represents a moment of moral reckoning not only for Mozambique, a country that has suffered so much violence, but for the entire African continent. PACTPAN believes that Africa’s future depends on a renewed commitment to two fundamental sources: the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the African philosophy of Ubuntu. “Ubuntu reminds us that ‘I am because we are.’ Human beings do not exist in isolation. Our humanity is inextricably linked. When one life is taken, the whole community suffers. When one person is murdered, something sacred is wounded in all of us.” The Christian vocation, therefore, is not only to condemn violence after it occurs, but to build cultures, institutions, and communities that protect life before it is threatened and that guarantee justice for those who have been killed, because victims of violence die repeatedly if there is no justice and if their deaths are not investigated. For this reason, PACTPAN invites governments, religious leaders, educators, civil society organizations, traditional authorities, and families throughout Africa to renew their commitment to the protection of human life from conception to natural death, the rule of law and the end of impunity, effective investigations of crimes against religious leaders and citizens, peacebuilding, reconciliation and social cohesion, the formation of young people in the values of nonviolence and responsible citizenship, the strengthening of democratic institutions and responsible governance, an Ubuntu culture rooted in solidarity, compassion and mutual responsibility, the promotion of evangelical nonviolence and a full life in all spheres of society.” Building communities of faith, hope, justice and peace: this is the commitment that the leaders of PACTPAN renew to continue the work for which the Bishop of Quelimane lived. “May his blood, and the blood of all innocent victims of violence in Africa, become a seed of renewal for our continent.”

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