“I came to walk with you”, Bishop in Mozambique Says at Installation, Urges “Pilgrim, Missionary, Synodal Church”

Maputo, 02 September, 2025 / 8:20 PM

On the occasion of his installation as the Local Ordinary of Mozambique’s Quelimane Catholic Diocese, Bishop Osório Citora Afonsoi assured the people of God of his readiness to serve, pledging to foster a “missionary and Synodal Church” of pilgrims.

In his address during the August 31 installation, Bishop Afonso said that his Episcopal ministry will be marked by humility, mutual listening, and shared pastoral responsibility.

“I came to walk with you. Let us make this journey together. It is called being a Pilgrim, Missionary, and Synodal Church, with an attitude entrusted to us as children—humility,” the Mozambican Catholic Bishop said.

He invited the people of God, especially pastoral agents, to commit themselves to the evangelizing mission of the Church.

“Our journey will only be fruitful if made in unity, as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Church is a community that walks together, listening, discerning, and serving,” he said during the Eucharistic celebration at the courtyard of Our Lady of Deliverance Cathedral of Quelimane Diocese.

The Mozambican member of the Institute of Consolata Missionaries (IMC) emphasized that the Church’s mission is not the task of one person, but of the entire people of God.

“I call on my brother Priests, women and men Religious, lay faithful, and all the people to unite with me. This is a shared mission,” Bishop Afonso emphasized.

He reiterated the missionary nature of the people of God, saying that “our Church is called to go out, to encounter others, the poor, the excluded, and the suffering, and to bring consolation. Let us walk together to console God’s holy people.” 

Bishop Afonso said that “the true face of the Church is shown in compassion; being close to the pains and hopes of its people. Mission begins with listening and grows through service.”

“We will open paths of spiritual and pastoral renewal with everyone, excluding no one,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Afonso as the Local Ordinary of Quelimane Diocese on July 25. The Diocese had been vacant since August 2023 following the transfer of Bishop Hilário da Cruz Massinga to the Catholic Diocese of Inhambane.

In his August 31 address, Bishop Afonso expressed gratitude to Priests, women and men Religious, and the Laity for their contributions in facilitating the transition to his administration.

“I renew, once again, my request to always count on you in serving this holy People of God. Let us walk together to console God’s holy people. Let us make a synodal and missionary journey. This is our hour!” said the fourth Local Ordinary of Quelimane Diocese that measures 57,798 square-kilometer, with a population of 1,366,593 Catholics, according to 2025 statistics.

He implored, “May the Lord accompany us, guide us, and direct our steps at this moment when, trusting in Divine Providence, we begin our journey of renewing faith as the Diocese of Quelimane.”