“An inspiration at the age of 100” – President joins Mozambican Catholics to celebrate Cardinal Dom Alexandre

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“An inspiration at the age of 100” – President joins Mozambican Catholics to celebrate Cardinal Dom Alexandre

12:27 CAT | 23 Apr 2018

Notícias

The President Filipe Nyusi celebrated the life of Cardinal Dom Alexandre José Maria dos Santos in Maputo yesterday, calling him a source of inspiration on the search for peace and reconciliation.

At a church service on the occasion of the centenary of Archbishop Emeritus of Maputo, Filipe Nyusi said that “many Mozambicans are joining the church and this adhesion should serve to consolidate the reconciliation among Mozambicans and provide evidence that we are a nation that living in peace and tolerance”.

Speaking specifically of the life and work of Dom Alexandre, the president said that his virtues were more than enough reasons to immortalise the life and work of the first bishop and cardinal of Mozambique, who turned 100 on March 18.

The quest for peace and concord among Mozambicans was the indelible mark of his legacy, he said.

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The celebration coincided with the fourth Sunday of Easter in the liturgical calendar. For the president, this was timely, since this marks ‘Good Shepherd Day’, a designation that, for Nyusi, personifies the deeds of Dom Alexandre.

“The decision of the archdiocese of Maputo to honour Cardinal Dom Alexandre on this very day, Good Shepherd Day, signals that he was indeed a good shepherd because he inspired many young people to find peace in religion. So it is a moment of reflection on the role of the shepherd, who can be any of us. But above all, it is important to remember that the pastor came to serve rather than to be served,” he stressed.

In addition to being a religious leader, Dom Alexandre also stood out as a nationalist and defender of the ideals of independence and for being one of the indispensable figures in the winding paths towards the attainment of peace and reconciliation in a context in which the country endured 16 years of war.

On this subject, Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs Isaac Chande noted that the cardinal was one of the first people to try to bring the government and Renamo closer together during the armed conflict, culminating in tine signing of the General Peace Agreement on 4 October 1992.

The Anglican bishop of Libombos Diocese, Monsignor Carlos Matsinhe, praised the cardinal’s openness to dialogue with other religious confessions, which gained momentum during Archbishop Alexandre’s archbishopric.

This approach led the Catholic Church to join the Christian Council of Mozambique, leading in turn to the creation of the Ecumenical Commission.

Source: Notícias