Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lilongwe (Agenzia Fides) - "A person of great courage". This is how, in a note sent to Agenzia Fides, Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba, Monfortan missionary remembers His Exc. Mgr. Joseph Mukasa Zuza (59), Bishop of Mzuzu (Malawi) and President of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, who died in a car accident on January 15 (see Fides 17/01/2015).
"Everyone remembers - explains Fr. Gamba - how Mgr. Zuza had publicly reproached in the presence of the President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika – who died in April 2012 - of leading the Country to disaster. Extreme courage because people ended up in jail for much less. He had the courage to give voice to his people".
The missionary reports that "on January 19 thousands of people rallied to pay Mgr. Zuza their last respects to".
The funeral was attended by all the Bishops of Malawi and representatives of the Episcopal Conferences of Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya, in addition to the President of Malawi, Arthur Peter Mutharika, the vice president, the Catholic Saulos Chirima who in Chitumbuka language, the language spoken in northern Malawi, expressed his condolences and that of the State.
The Apostolic Nuncio, His Exc. Mgr. Julio Murat, presided over the funeral liturgy. His Exc. Mgr. Thomas Msusa, Archbishop of Blantyre and Vice President of the Episcopal Conference concluded his homily stressing that "a prophetic and courageous leader has died". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/01/2015)
