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| Mourners View the body at St. Theresa Cathedral in Lusaka |
Thousands of people from all walks of life witnessed the burial of the first indigenous Zambian Cardinal H.E Medardo Cardinal Mazombwe who succumbed to cancer last week.
The late Cardinal was laid to rest at St. Therese Cathedral in Lusaka on 3rd September 2013.
The late Cardinal was laid to rest at St. Therese Cathedral in Lusaka on 3rd September 2013.
Mourners watched sorrowfully as the cream white coffin carrying Cardinal Mazombwe’s remains was lowered into the ground after a moving requiem mass at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus led by H.E. John Cardinal Njue, Archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya.
AMECEA was represented in the funeral by the Chairman of the Association Most. Rev. Tarcisio Ziyaye, Archbishop of Lilongwe, Malawi, AMECEA Patron H.E.John Cardinal Njue, and the Secretary General of the Association Rev Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo.
Cardinal Njue described Cardinal Mazombwe as a great man of God who sacrificed his entire life to serve the poor and marginalized in society. At the same time, Archbishop Ziyaye said Cardinal Mazombwe’s death was a blow not only to the Catholic community but the entire nation as a whole.
Also present at the burial ceremony was the Apostolic Nuncio to Zambia, His Grace Archbishop Julio Murat who described the death of Cardinal Mazombwe as a great loss not only to the country but to the entire church.“The Mother Church has lost a very hardworking servant of God who dedicated his life to God,” he said.
The Finance Minister Mr. Alexander Chikwandawho represented the Zambian President Michael Sata said he remembers the late Cardinal Mazombwe as being among the many devoted clergymen who provided spiritual leadership at defining points. He said that Cardinal Mazombwe’s death has cast a dark cloud on Zambia because he was a man whose priestly zeal, authority and fidelity to the gospel were appreciated by multitudes and united the country.
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| Casket carrying the remains of Cardinal arrives at the cathedral |
“He touched many lives in many ways. He was a source of strengthen, inspiration and moral courage for the many people across the denominational line,” he said adding that “Indeed, this is one loss too many, a loss that makes our hearts feel so empty, our bodies numb and our spirits extremely low. The feeling of defeat is written all over the faces present here.”
He said Cardinal Mazombwe was among the many devoted clergymen who provided spiritual leadership at defining points in the history of the country, such as during the political transition in 1991 when the Church played a critical role to ensure that the country held together and was ushered peacefully into multi-party politics.
“The peaceful transition has placed Zambia in a permanent spot as a shining example of a thriving democracy,” he said adding that “The late Cardinal Mazombwe contributed immensely to the growth of the Church in general and the Catholic Church in particular, both in terms of the spiritual welfare of the people and infrastructural growth of the church.”
Meanwhile, AMECEA Secretariat Staff Members in Nairobi Kenya celebrated a Special Mass on 3rd September 2013 the day of the burial of the late Cardinal to pray for the repose of his soul.
In his homily the AMECEA Pastoral Department Secretary Fr. Febian Mulenga Pikiti said that the AMECEA family thanks God for the life of the late cardinal especially on his dedication to serve the people of God not only in Zambia but in the whole of AMECEA Region. “May the Lord grant him a share in His Kingdom,’ he said.
May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace.