Pope Francis
succumbed to a stroke and irreversible cardiovascular collapse on Easter Monday
and will be laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy. It
is a site which Pope Francis personally chose as his final resting place
largely due to his strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
His passing on
plunged the faith world, particularly the over 1, 3 billion Catholics across
the world – as estimated by the world-renowned Agenzia Fides – into deep
mourning.
President
Mnangagwa led plaudits for the departed leader of the catholic church, whose Zimbabwean membership is estimated to
be over a million, describing him as a
dedicated servant of the Lord.
“In this solemn
hour, the world reflects, with reverence, on the life and legacy of a devoted
servant of the Apostolic See, who dedicated himself to the service of God and
humanity at large,” said the President in his eulogy.
“His voice,
that resonated within and beyond the hallowed walls of the Vatican, shall,
forever, remain an embodiment of his spirit of grace, moral leadership and
theological insight, that uplifted the spiritual consciousness of our time.”
The President
has thus followed up on his commiserations with Catholics and the faith world
by dispatching his deputy to attend the funeral.
A devout
catholic himself, VP Chiwenga has spoken
glowingly about the positive impact that the church has had on Zimbabwe’s
socio-economic development dating back to the days of the liberation struggle.
United Nations
Secretary General Antonio Guterres leads a cast of several heads of states and
government and or their representatives at the final interment of the Pope
tomorrow.
The Pope’s
choice of burial is one of Rome’s four Papal Basilicas located on the summit of
the Esquiline Hill.
It also breaks
papal burial tradition as several recent leaders of the church had been buried
in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Although
breaking with recent tradition, it is, however, not without precedence as six
other Pope office holders have been laid to rest at the St Mary’s Major
Basilica.
The event has
drawn global attention with the Vatican reporting that more than 2 000
international journalists have been accredited to cover the event in addition
to regular Vatican-accredited journalists.
Zimbabwe’s
diversified and largest media group, Zimbabwe Newspapers 1980 Limited, is part
of the world press covering the burial. Herald
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