Africa-Press – Angola. The Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, participated, this Friday, in the suffrage mass (7-day mass) in honor of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
The mass, in honor of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on December 31, in Vatican City, celebrated by the Archbishop of Luanda, Dom Filomeno Vieira Dias, took place at the Sagrada Familia Church.
The event was also attended by the President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Teté António, of Culture, Filipe Zau, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça.
During the homily, the Archbishop of Luanda, Dom Filomeno Vieira Dias, highlighted the achievements of Pope Benedict XVI and the service rendered to the church throughout his ministry, considering him as one of the most influential theological and philosophical personalities of the 20th century, in history of the Catholic Church, humanist and zealous guardian of the heritage of faith and resolute in its defense.
On the occasion, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican in Angola, Dom Giovanni Gaspari, thanked the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, for, in the first hour, having expressed solidarity with the Vatican for the physical passing of Pope Benedict XVI, through a message of condolences.
Dom Giovanni Gaspari also emphasized the high sense of solidarity of the Angolan authorities, stating that it reflects the clearest recognition of the relationship between the Angolan State and the Holy See and the Church.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teté António, highlighted the achievements of Benedict XVI, highlighting the framework of relations between the Angolan State and the Holy See, supported by the Framework Agreement signed in the Vatican and in force since 2019.
Teté António emphasized the role of the church in the field of education and moralization of society, always with a view to contributing to the integral development of young Angolans.
During the service, Reverend Dorcas Teca and the Bishop of the Methodist Church, Gaspar Domingos, prayed with the Catholic faithful.
Benedict XVI was Pope between 2005 and 2013. He was born in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, in the German diocese of Passau, becoming the first German to head the Catholic Church in many centuries and a representative of the most dogmatic line of the Church.
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