Her loving presence had become a permanent fixture of the community, where she ministered to the poor and did all that she could to provide for their needs.
According to Reuters, a group of insurgents rushed through the area while fleeing from a joint force of soldiers from Mozambique, Rwanda, and the Southern African Development Community.
At the time, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi explained how they killed Sr. Maria and six others before setting the rest of the residences on fire:
"On the 6th of September, as a result of terrorist attacks, six citizens were beheaded, three kidnapped, six terrorists were captured and dozens of houses torched in the districts of Erati and Memba, Nampula province," Nyusi said.
Vatican News reported that the assailants forced their way into to the compound of the Comboni Mission of Chipene and entered the nun’s living quarters. At this point they executed Sr. Maria, shooting her in the head.
The news of the brutal martyrdom was published widely, and Pope Francis recalled her witness at the time:
In this moment of prayer, I would like to remember Sister Maria de Coppi, a Comboni missionary who died in Chipene, Mozambique, where she served with love for almost sixty years. May her witness give strength and courage to Christians and to all the people of Mozambique
Cause for canonization
Bishop Alberto Vera Aréjula recently explained to the Aid to the Church in Need that he would pursue launching a cause for canonization for Sr. Maria.
He said, "Sister Maria is an example of a mother, a good woman, a saintly woman who was always very close to the people, and the people feel her loss deeply; they feel that Sister Maria de Coppi truly is a saint."
The cause is unable to start until 2027, as there is a five-year waiting period after an individual's death before a diocese can launch such an initiative. On occasion the waiting period has been lifted, but that can only be authorized by the pope.
Bishop Vera also mentioned that he would include Catechist Cipriano Parite in the same cause as Sr. Maria, who was killed during the civil war in 1984.
He further stated, "They are deeply loved, remembered ... with pilgrimages to both tombs by people who frequently go there to pray, and that is why we must begin these processes, especially because they are two martyrs, two great martyrs."