Mozambique: Three thousand students begin open-air school year in Gaza province
President pays tribute to Bishop Emeritus of Tete, Dom Paulo Mandlate
2:25 CAT | 28 Aug 2019
Picture: AIM Moçambique
President Nyusi has urged Mozambicans to unite around the memory of Archbishop Paulo Mandlate, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Tete, who died of an illness last Wednesday.
“We addressed a message to the Christian Community and family as we came to pay tribute to the bishop, and we urge you to join us in continuing to honour the memory of the Bishop by following his teachings and legacy,” the head of state said.
The remains of Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Tete, Archbishop Paulo Mandlate, who died last week in Maputo as a result of illness, were buried on Tuesday in the Lhanguene cemetery in Maputo, the country’s capital.
Born in Gaza on 4 February 1934, the prelate passed away on the night of 21 August at the age of 85, having dedicated 33 years of his life to the Diocese of Tete, to which he was seconded in 1976, shortly after his episcopal ordination.
The President of the Republic attended the wake in the Munhuana Church and, on behalf of all Mozambicans, presented condolences to the Mandlate family and the Catholic community in general.
Filipe Nyusi appealed to those who lived with Bishop Dom Paulo Mandlate to cultivate good relations, explaining that “when a family member leaves us, we must remain united so that his soul can rest in peace.”
Bishop Lucio Muandula, Bishop of Xai-Xai and President of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique said that the occasion was more a thanking of the deceased for working so steadfastly on behalf of the church and the poor.
Messages from the Diocese of Tete, where he was the first black bishop, from his congregation, and from former students at the Alvor Teacher Training Centre, characterised him as a leader who gave everything for the welfare of the Catholic community and the country in general.
The Mandlate family mourned the loss of their “baobab”, stressing that it was now the task of each member to preserve and spread the teachings left by the bishop, so that his life, dedicated to the welfare of all, should not have been in vain.
The funeral included mass in the parish of Santa Ana da Munhuana, a ceremony attended by religious and government personalities, where messages from the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, the family, and the Diocese of Tete, among others, were read.
Source: AIM Moçambique / Notícias
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