Africa-Press – Angola. Angola paid tribute to former President José Eduardo dos Santos on Thursday with a Eucharistic celebration led by Canon Apolónio Graciano, who highlighted the late president’s achievements in building peace in the country and on the African continent.
The ceremony, held in Praça da República in Luanda, is part of the commemorations of the third anniversary of the death of the former Angolan statesman.
After the homily, former First Lady Ana Paula dos Santos, accompanied by family members, the Minister of State and Chief of the Military Household of the President of the Republic, Francisco Pereira Furtado, and other Angolan government officials, laid wreaths at the tomb where José Eduardo dos Santos rests.
Canon Apolónio Graciano described José Eduardo dos Santos as an indelible figure in Angolan history. “It was he who gave this country what has become the greatest pride of all Angolans: peace.”
He emphasized that peace constitutes the supreme good that each individual must recognize as the highest virtue and a fundamental pillar for harmonious coexistence.
“Without peace, there is no harmony, without love, there is no harmony, without forgiveness, there is no harmony. This is the legacy that José Eduardo dos Santos left for Angola,” he emphasized.
According to the prelate, Angola knew how to find the means to end the conflict, bringing all its sons and daughters together around a table and asserting itself within the context of nations.
“Angola knew how to live and demonstrate what the world so desperately needs today: peace and reconciliation. And José Eduardo dos Santos is, indeed, the figure who provided all of this, allowing us today to affirm our dignity as a people,” he concluded.
In turn, the vice-president of the Eduardo dos Santos Foundation (FESA), Joaquim Duarte, also highlighted the former statesman’s achievements in philanthropy, love for others, and peacebuilding.
José Eduardo dos Santos, former President of Angola, is widely recognized as the “Architect of Peace” for his achievements in consolidating peace and national unity.
He was born on August 28, 1942, in Luanda, and ruled the country from 1979 to 2017. He died on July 8, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain, where he was hospitalized after a cardiac arrest. He was buried on August 28 in Luanda.
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