Francisco Viti died on Saturday at the age of 89, due to illness resulting from a serious road accident he suffered on February 19.
In a publication shared on his Facebook page, the leader of the largest opposition party, UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) expresses “uncontained anguish and great regret” over the death of the prelate, which he describes as an “Angolan easy” and intellectual exponent of wise advice.
“A man of profound wisdom, a human defender of our idiosyncrasy, a humble Catholic leader who never abandoned his Archdiocese even in the crucial and difficult moments that Huambo has known”, are other praises that Adalberto da Costa Júnior dedicates to the archbishop.
“In the phase of widespread popular resistance to the conquest of multi-party democracy carried out by UNITA, Dom Viti headed the delegation that traveled to the then provisional capital of the Bastion of Resistance of UNITA, Jamba, for preliminary contacts with the leadership of UNITA and its president, Jonas Malheiro Savimbi, building bridges towards the search for a consensual platform for direct negotiations between the Government of the People's Republic of Angola and UNITA”, recalls the party leader.
For Adalberto da Costa Júnior, the archbishop's death "represents a hard blow not only for the Catholic Church, for the provinces of Huambo and others where he worked, but also for all of Angola, for which he served throughout his missionary career".
The UNITA president ends by addressing condolences to the family and the Catholic Church on his behalf, the party leadership and the militants, praising the “memory of the illustrious nationalist, patriot, fighter for freedom and tireless trainer of servants of the fatherland in various domains”.
The governor of Huambo province, Lotti Nolika, also mourned the death of Francisco Viti on Sunday, highlighting his empathy with the communities.
In a condolence note sent to Angop, the minister praised the Archbishop's contributions to the solidification of the Catholic Church in Angola and Huambo, in particular.
According to Lotti Nolika, Francisco Viti's ministry is also marked by the recognition of his human sense, above all by his easy empathy with the communities to which he was always available to help in the most varied ways, as a reflection of the church's mission, says the ANGOP.
