The Episcopal Conference has once again called for answers regarding the murder of a bishop. In a final statement published after an extraordinary plenary assembly, the bishops of Mozambique ask: who exactly killed Don Ozorio? Who were the moral and material perpetrators of this violent killing? What were the motives for the murder?
According to the document, the assembly was convened to discuss the violent death of Bishop Kelimane and the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira, who was shot on June 6 in his residence in Kelimane, Zambezia province, central Mozambique.
In the statement, signed by the president of the Episcopal Conference (CEM), Inácio Saure, the bishops expressed regret that despite investigations conducted, official answers on the case are still unavailable. They emphasized that the death of Ozorio Sitor was a 'heavy blow to the heart of the Catholic Church in Mozambique' and noted that the circumstances of the murder require further clarification.
'Three months have passed since the incident, and we continue to await answers to these questions,' the bishops added. They also called for the continuation of judicial proceedings, insisting that the search for truth must not be interrupted.
The document states: 'We call for the efforts to find the truth, initiated by the judicial authorities from the beginning, not to stop, so that they may become a path of hope, reconciliation, and purification capable of helping to heal this terrible wound.'
The Episcopal Conference also recalled a meeting held on July 3 in the Vatican between the delegation of the Mozambican Church and Pope Leon XIV. During this meeting, the Pope expressed 'his closeness and interest in clarifying the circumstances and causes of the death of Don Ozorio Sitor Afonso.'
Beyond concern over the investigation, the extraordinary assembly served as an opportunity for internal reflection within the Catholic Church of Mozambique, which acknowledges the presence of pastoral and institutional problems. The bishops noted: 'The death of Don Ozorio shows us the human fragility within us, as the Church,' calling for a renewal of evangelizing commitment and Christian witness.
Earlier in July, the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique had already demanded an expansion of the scope of the investigation into the murder of Ozorio Sitor Afonso, asserting that the authorities should not be limited to the residential premises where the crime occurred.
The bishop was shot early in the morning of June 6 at his home in Kelimane. Subsequently, authorities announced the arrest of three suspects, including a Catholic priest, as part of the investigation.
Ozorio Sitor Afonso, a member of the Institute of Consular Missionaries, was appointed Bishop of Kelimane in July 2025 and assumed the duties of Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Beira in April of this year, becoming one of the key figures of the Catholic Church in Mozambique.