ROME, Italy – Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has arrived here joining hundreds of world leaders for the burial of Pope Francis.
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. – Heraldonline
