Namibians bid final farewell to Pope

By: LINDSAY DENTLINGER

NAMIBIANS said their final farewell to Pope John Paul II at a moving thanksgiving mass in St Mary's Cathedral in Windhoek on Wednesday evening.

As the strains of the organ reverberated into the street below,

Catholics and non-Catholics blocked the three entrances to the

Cathedral in search of a seat, which were all taken up half an hour

before the service started.

The mass was led by Archbishop Liborius Nashenda with the

assistance of at least ten local priests, who entered the church as

the congregation sang "Praise the Lord, ye Heaven's Adore him".

 

Reading a short biography of the pontiff before the service

began, St Mary's Cathedral parish priest Father Winfred Deing said

the mass was intended to thank God for the life of the Pope and to

pray for his rest in eternal peace.

 

The Pope will be buried in the Vatican City today, with an

expected four million mourners expected in Rome for the three-hour

mass that will be held.

 

This number includes a million pilgrims from the Pope's native

country, Poland.

 

No one from the Namibian clergy will be attending.

 

"He was a great man in the sense that he was God-fearing, he

endured great suffering and struggled for reconciliation in the

world," said Nashenda as he welcomed people to the service in

Windhoek.

 

Father Willem Konjore, who is also the Minister of Environment,

read the Gospel from John 17.

 

"Father, the time has come.

 

Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

 

For you granted him authority over all people that he might give

eternal life to all those you have given him," he read, after

blessing the Bible with incense.

 

In his sermon, Nashenda said the outpouring of grief for the

Pope around the world was because he was not only a man of God, but

a man of the people, especially the poor.

 

"Why was he so special? He didn't preside over an economy, he

was not a president, he was not in charge of an army," said

Nashenda.

 

"He was a true missionary of the love of God, not only to

Catholics."

 

Nashenda described the Pope as a man of considerable intellect

and open-mindedness, saying he was able to relate issues of faith

to the complexities of the modern world.

 

"The poor and humble loved him for his unshakeable faith in the

God of human life and human dignity," said Nashenda.

 

The Pope also had a great understanding for suffering and pain,

he said, having battled poor health for more than two decades.

 

"Maar hy het nie tou opgegooi nie [but he did not throw in the

towel]," said the Bishop, switching to Afrikaans.

 

Nashenda asked the church to pray that a worthy successor would

be chosen for the good of not only the Catholic Church, but all

Christians around the world.

 

"We give thanks for the life of a great man who made a

difference to the lives of many and made people embrace the reality

of God in their lives," he said concluding the sermon.

 

He then blessed a framed picture of the Pope, flowers and a

candle placed in front of the altar with incense - the fragrant

smoke symbolising prayers rising to heaven and purifying that which

it touches.

 

Today will be the last day for the public to sign a book of

condolences at the Archbishop's chancery.

 

The book will later be sent to Rome.

 

Dignitaries in attendance at Wednesday night's service were

Minister of Fisheries Abraham Iyambo, Deputy Minister of Trade and

Industry Bernhardt Esau, Finance Minister Saara

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Deputy Minister of Safety and Security Gabes

Shihepo, Youth Minister John Mutorwa and Former Prisons Minister

Andimba Toivo ya Toivo.

 

The Council of Churches in Namibia was represented by its

Secretary General, Reverend Nangula Kathindi.

 

The mass was led by Archbishop Liborius Nashenda with the

assistance of at least ten local priests, who entered the church as

the congregation sang "Praise the Lord, ye Heaven's Adore

him".Reading a short biography of the pontiff before the service

began, St Mary's Cathedral parish priest Father Winfred Deing said

the mass was intended to thank God for the life of the Pope and to

pray for his rest in eternal peace.The Pope will be buried in the

Vatican City today, with an expected four million mourners expected

in Rome for the three-hour mass that will be held.This number

includes a million pilgrims from the Pope's native country,

Poland.No one from the Namibian clergy will be attending."He was a

great man in the sense that he was God-fearing, he endured great

suffering and struggled for reconciliation in the world," said

Nashenda as he welcomed people to the service in Windhoek.Father

Willem Konjore, who is also the Minister of Environment, read the

Gospel from John 17."Father, the time has come.Glorify your Son,

that your Son may glorify you.For you granted him authority over

all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have

given him," he read, after blessing the Bible with incense.In his

sermon, Nashenda said the outpouring of grief for the Pope around

the world was because he was not only a man of God, but a man of

the people, especially the poor."Why was he so special? He didn't

preside over an economy, he was not a president, he was not in

charge of an army," said Nashenda."He was a true missionary of the

love of God, not only to Catholics."Nashenda described the Pope as

a man of considerable intellect and open-mindedness, saying he was

able to relate issues of faith to the complexities of the modern

world."The poor and humble loved him for his unshakeable faith in

the God of human life and human dignity," said Nashenda.The Pope

also had a great understanding for suffering and pain, he said,

having battled poor health for more than two decades."Maar hy het

nie tou opgegooi nie [but he did not throw in the towel]," said the

Bishop, switching to Afrikaans.Nashenda asked the church to pray

that a worthy successor would be chosen for the good of not only

the Catholic Church, but all Christians around the world."We give

thanks for the life of a great man who made a difference to the

lives of many and made people embrace the reality of God in their

lives," he said concluding the sermon.He then blessed a framed

picture of the Pope, flowers and a candle placed in front of the

altar with incense - the fragrant smoke symbolising prayers rising

to heaven and purifying that which it touches.Today will be the

last day for the public to sign a book of condolences at the

Archbishop's chancery.The book will later be sent to

Rome.Dignitaries in attendance at Wednesday night's service were

Minister of Fisheries Abraham Iyambo, Deputy Minister of Trade and

Industry Bernhardt Esau, Finance Minister Saara

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Deputy Minister of Safety and Security Gabes

Shihepo, Youth Minister John Mutorwa and Former Prisons Minister

Andimba Toivo ya Toivo.The Council of Churches in Namibia was

represented by its Secretary General, Reverend Nangula

Kathindi.

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