MALAWI: Thousands Attend the Funeral of Bishop Zuza

Priests carrying the casket of the late Bishop Zuza

Malawi’s
President, Professor Peter Mutharika and his Vice, Saulos Chilima on 19th
January 2015 were among the thousands of people from Malawi and outside who
attended the funeral of Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu Diocese at St Peters
Cathedral in Mzuzu.

Early in the
morning people started congregating to the events ground of St Peter Cathedral,
a place where the requiem was to be celebrated; despite of the heavy rain that
was pouring on that day.

Also present
at the event were All the Catholic Bishops of Malawi, priests, religious men
and women including Rt. Rev Benjamin Phiri, Auxiliary of Chipata, representing
Zambia Episcopal Conference; Fr Chrisantus Ndaga, a representative from AMECEA
secretariat and Fr. Sinkala, a Vicar General of Mbeya Diocese, Tanzania.

The Pope’s
envoy to Malawi and Zambia, His Excellency Archbishop Julio Murat led the
requiem mass which started at 10.00 am and at 2:00 pm the body of late Bishop
Zuza was lowered into the grave.

After Mass,
the Pope’s envoy read the messages from the Vatican Secretary of State, H.E
Pietro Cardinal Parolin and from the Congregation of Evangelization of Peoples;
both offering condolences to the Bishops of Malawi, Priests, Religious and the
Lay Faithful of Mzuzu diocese.

The body of Late Bishop being lowered on the grave

In his
eulogy, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi’s (ECM) Vice Chairman, Archbishop
Thomas Msusa of Blantyre said the country has lost a great leader. “We are
shocked with the untimely death of Bishop Zuza. The country has lost a
prophetic and courageous leader,” he said.

Archbishop
Msusa also described the late Bishop Zuza as a humble man with a sense of humor
ready to interact with all classes of people.

Speaking on
behalf of the President, Vice President Saulos Chilima said that the country
has lost a great person who did a great job for his country. “He provided good
leadership for his nation,” he said adding that “As a country, we all mourn
him.”

A message from
the AMECEA Chairman Cardinal Designate H.E. Berhaneyesus Souraphiel CM stated,  “It is with great shock and sorrow that I
heard of the sudden death of our dear Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza, Bishop of
Mzuzu Diocese,” adding that “I knew personally Bishop Zuza. He loved his
Church, he loved his country, and above all he loved his diocese. I have seen
him as a great leader of the Malawi Episcopal Conference during the last AMECEA
Plenary in Lilongwe in July 2014.”

President of Malawi Prof. Mutharika (extreme right) and  Vice Saulos Chilima during the funeral of the late Bishop

“I will like
to send my deep condolences to the clergy, religious, and faithful of the
Diocese of Mzuzu; to the Malawi Episcopal Conference, to the family of the late
Bishop Joseph, and the Malawi people and government,” read his message.

In his
Condolence message, AMECEA Secretary General Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo said, “We at
the AMECEA Secretariat have received the sad news of the passing of Rt. Rev.
Joseph Mukasa Zuza, the Bishop of Mzuzu Diocese and Chairman of the Episcopal
Conference of Malawi with deep sorrow.

“While
accepting God’s will with humility, we thank Almighty God for the gift of
Bishop Zuza to the Church and for the selfless service which he rendered the
people of God. We shall always remember Bishop Zuza for his contribution
towards the success of the 18th AMECEA Plenary Assembly. Under his
leadership the Church and the people of Malawi united in this great event. As a
Bishop he never tired in performing his prophetic role in the interest of being
the voice of the voiceless and the salvation and development of humanity.”

Vice President of Malawi Saulos Chilima pays his last respect

During the
ceremony, Archbishop Msusa read out a list of individuals who sent their
condolence messages to ECM which included His Excellency, Professor Arthur
Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi; Right Honourable, Mr.
Saulos Chilima, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi; His Eminence Wilfred
Cardinal Napier OFM, Archbishop of Durban, South Africa; His Excellency Bert
Van Megen, Apostolic Nuncio to Sudan and Eritrea; His Grace, Protase Rugambwa,
President of Pontifical Missionary Societies (PMS), Vatican; His Grace
Telesphor Mpundu, President of Zambia Episcopal Conference; His Grace John
Baptist Odama, President of Uganda Episcopal Conference; His Grace, Tarcisius
J.M Ngalalekumtwa, President of Tanzania Episcopal Conference; His Grace, Abune
Tesfaselassie Medhin, Bishop of Adigrat, Ethiopia; Rt. Rev Daniel Adwok,
Auxiliary of Khartoum- Sudan; His Lordship, Kidane Yebio, Bishop of Keren,
Eritrea and Msgr Pius Rutechura; Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of
Eastern Africa (CUEA).

Bishop Zuza
died on Thursday (15th January, 2015) in a road accident after a car he was
travelling in overturned at a place called Nthungwa.

By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Social
Communication office and Prince Henderson, ECM Communications Officer