José Manuel Imbamba, who mourned the death of Francis and invited Christians to join in prayer for the Pope, considered that the leader of the Catholic Church was a "shepherd faithful to Jesus Christ, who sought to embody the principle of poverty, embraced the values of the gospel as his missionary being and is a figure who enchanted the world as a whole".
"He [Pope Francis] opened the doors of dialogue, he opened the doors to fraternity, he opened the doors to world peace, he opened the doors to the world's concern for ecology, so these memories will be memorable, because he was someone who sought to provide an environment of healthy dialogue for everyone", said the archbishop, in an interview with the Angolan Public Television (TPA).
According to the president of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST), Francis was a man dedicated to goodness, harmony and peace.
"I invite all Christians to join in prayer for the Pope," the cleric stressed, noting that the Argentine Pope, throughout his pontificate, has striven for social friendship, inclusive friendship, and a world where everyone feels "responsible and active."
José Manuel Imbamba also expressed gratitude for the lessons taught by the Pontiff of the Catholic Church: "We are grateful for this legacy that he left us, grateful, above all, for the lesson of love, the lesson of detachment, the lesson of fraternity, acceptance and solidarity, especially towards the most vulnerable and neglected groups in our social context."
The Archbishop of Saurimo also stated that the reforms implemented by Pope Francis will continue to be implemented by his successor, noting that the Church "is always on a path and is in a process of permanent reform."
"For this very reason, those who come after him will seek to continue the evangelizing mission, because universal pastors seek to read the signs of the times, the signs of history, the signs of the world and the moment in which we live", he stressed.
All the reform initiated by Pope Francis "is to continue and this work, no matter who comes next, cannot reverse this entire synodal path that is underway and the synodal path leads to renewal, commitment and conversion, all for the good that one desires within oneself and for society", concluded the president of CEAST.
Pope Francis died this Monday at the age of 88, after 12 years of a pontificate marked by the fight against sexual abuse, wars and a pandemic.
Born in Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936, Francis was the first Jesuit to reach the leadership of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis was hospitalized for 38 days due to bilateral pneumonia, and was discharged on March 23. His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday at the Vatican, the day before he died.
