“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)
The Pan-African Catholic Theological and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) joins the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Mozambique, the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of Mozambique, and all people of goodwill in mourning the tragic killing of Most Rev. Osório Citora Afonso, Bishop of Quelimane and Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira.
We received with profound sorrow, shock, and indignation the news of the violent death of Bishop Afonso in his episcopal residence. We stand in prayerful solidarity with his family, his diocese, the people of Mozambique, and the entire Church in Africa.
As SECAM rightly observed, this “heinous act, perpetrated against a shepherd 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 that are essential for the flourishing of every society.”
PACTPAN wholeheartedly joins SECAM in its unequivocal condemnation of this barbaric crime and in its call upon the Government of Mozambique and all competent authorities to undertake an immediate, transparent, thorough, and independent investigation so that those responsible, whether perpetrators, accomplices, or masterminds, may be identified and brought to justice. As SECAM has rightly insisted, “the people of Mozambique, the Catholic Church, and the international community deserve the truth.”
We are equally grateful for the prayerful solidarity of Pope Leo XIV, who described Bishop Afonso’s death as a painful loss for the Church and called upon all believers to reject violence and become builders of peace, reconciliation, and hope. In a continent wounded by conflict, insecurity, criminal violence, corruption, and political instability, the Holy Father’s appeal deserves renewed attention.
The death of Bishop Afonso joins a disturbing pattern that has emerged in recent years across Africa. Too many bishops, priests, religious women and men, catechists, pastoral agents, and ordinary faithful have become victims of violence. In many cases, investigations remain incomplete, justice remains elusive, and families and communities are left without answers. The killing of shepherds of God’s people is never merely an attack on an individual. It is an attack on the moral conscience of society and on the sacredness of human life itself.
We know that this tragedy extends 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, kidnappings, domestic violence, disappearances, and armed conflict. Mozambique continues to suffer the consequences of insurgent violence in Cabo Delgado. Nigeria faces persistent insecurity and attacks on communities. South Africa struggles with extraordinarily high levels of violent crime. Across several African nations, thousands of families live with the pain of loved ones who have been killed, abducted, or disappeared.
This reality compels us to ask a painful but necessary question: What has happened to our commitment to the sanctity of life?
We Africans often pride ourselves on cherishing life, family, community, and solidarity. Yet the increasing normalization of violence suggests that something precious is being lost. Human life is too often treated as disposable. Violence has become routine. Death has become commonplace. Too many people no longer feel shock when another life is taken.
The killing of Bishop Afonso is a moment of moral reckoning not only for Mozambique, a country that has seen so much violence, but for our continent.
PACTPAN believes that Africa’s future depends upon a renewed commitment to two foundational sources of our moral vision: 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 bound together. When one life is diminished, the entire community is diminished. When one person is murdered, something sacred is wounded in all of us.
The Gospel invites us even to something higher. Jesus Christ came so that all may have life and have it abundantly. This is the motto that we have chosen as a network. The Christian vocation is therefore not merely to condemn violence after it occurs but to build cultures, institutions, and communities that protect life before it is threatened and to see justice for those who have been killed because the victims of violence die again and again if there is no justice and accounting for their deaths. For this reason, PACTPAN calls upon 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 into crimes against religious leaders and citizens.
- Peacebuilding, reconciliation, and social cohesion.
- Youth formation in the values of nonviolence and responsible citizenship.
- The strengthening of democratic institutions and accountable governance.
- A culture of Ubuntu rooted in solidarity, compassion, and mutual responsibility.
- The promotion of Gospel non-violence and of abundant life in every sphere of society.
As we mourn Bishop Osório Citora Afonso, we also recommit ourselves to the work for which he lived: building communities of faith, hope, justice, and peace.
May his blood, and the blood of all innocent victims of violence in Africa, become a seed of renewal for our continent.
May the Lord of Life welcome Bishop Afonso into the communion of the saints.
May Jesus, the Bread and Blood of Life, whose feast Bishop Afonso was hoping to celebrate on the eve of his death, welcome him into the banquet of heaven.
May God comfort all who mourn.
May justice be done.
May peace prevail in Mozambique and throughout Africa.
Sr Jane Waruguru Kimathi
Fr. Stan Chu Ilo
Coordinating Servant, PACTPAN
Pan-African Catholic Theological and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN)
June 7, 2026, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ
3 comments
Oh that my fellow people of Africa would heed to the voice of God through PACTPAN we would transform our continent. This piece of writing could not have been written in any other way.
Thank you PACTPAN for caring to immortalise Bishop Afonso of Mozambique by your writing who many of us never knew before. Your dedicated writing on his demise has created a lot of awareness about his dedicated life in Christ and service to the Church. God, give him eternal life and make him live forever among your martyrs and saints.
Thank you PACTPAN for caring to immortalise Bishop Afonso of Mozambique by your writing who many of us never knew before. Your dedicated writing on his demise has created a lot of awareness about his dedicated life in Christ and service to the Church. O God, give him eternal life and make him live forever among your martyrs and saints. Amen.