Maputo, 30 August, 2025 / 10:00 PM
Bishop Osório Citora Afonso who has been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Mozambique’s Maputo Catholic Archdiocese has appealed for spiritual solidarity as he prepares to begin his Episcopal Ministry in the country’s Catholic Diocese of Quelimane.
Addressing the people of God in what will be his Episcopal See after his installation on Sunday, August 31, Bishop Afonso underscored the need for togetherness in shaping the future of Quelimane Diocese.
“Thank you very much for everything, for the warm welcome. And continue to pray for me,” he told those who gathered to welcome him at Our Lady of Deliverance Cathedral of Quelimane Diocese on Thursday, August 28.
He added, “I ask you to pray for me, to pray for this mission of mine – this mission of ours. Pray that we may continue together in this mission that the Lord has entrusted to us.”
Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Afonso as the Local Ordinary of Quelimane Diocese on July 25. The Diocese has been vacant since August 2023 following the transfer of Bishop Hilário da Cruz Massinga to the Catholic Diocese of Inhambane.
In his August 28 address, Bishop Afonso emphasized the need for a joint pastoral approach, which he described as a “pilgrimage together”, noting that “this must be done by all as a Church that goes forth.”
“This pilgrimage continues. It is carried out by all of us, so that we may walk together. Our path is to walk together, to be together as brothers (and sisters); a pilgrimage that does not end here, where we were welcomed, but that will continue,” the Mozambican member of the Institute of Consolata Missionaries (IMC) said.
He implored, “May the Lord grant us this grace to always walk together, enlightened by the Word of God.”
The 53-year-old Catholic Bishop was ordained a Priest in November 2002 after completing his theological studies at St. Eugene Mazenod Theological Seminary in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
As a Priest, he served in various capacities, including Parish Vicar and Bursar of St. Hilaire Parish of Kinshasa Archdiocese, Formator and Bursar of the Theological Seminary of Kinshasa, and Local collaborator at the Apostolic Nunciature in DRC, among other Priestly services.
He obtained his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Rome-based Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Prior to his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo Archdiocese, he served as an official at the Dicastery for Evangelization in the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.
In September 2023, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Maputo and Consecrated Bishop in January 2024.
He is serving as Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique (CEM).
Upon installation, Bishop Afonso will be 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.
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