Govt pays tribute to Catholic bishop
THE Government is ready to work with the Church to seek peace, which is an enduring tenet for economic development, to benefit the people of Zimbabwe whose well-being and freedom should come first.
This was said by Acting President Dr Constantino Chiwenga at a requiem mass for the late Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus Alexio Muchabaiwa at St Dominics High School in Mutare ahead of burial later yesterday at Saint Triashill Mission near Rusape.
Acting President Chiwenga, who was accompanied by his wife Colonel Miniyothabo Chiwenga, said the Government would honour the legacy of the late Bishop Muchabaiwa, who was the first cleric to preside over the blessing of the National Heroes Acre and the reburial of the first two national heroes to be interred at the national shrine after independence.
The Acting President said Bishop Muchabaiwa was one of the clerics who supported the country’s liberation struggle against colonial rule.
Himself a devout Catholic, Acting President Chiwenga went down memory lane reminiscing on a special personal encounter with the late Bishop on August 24, 1968, when he was chosen to be one of the few servers on the day the late Bishop was ordained as a priest at Mt St Mary’s Hwedza Mission.
He said this encounter blessed him with the opportunity to remain close to Church leaders up to this day.
“In 1982, the late Archbishop Patrick Chakaipa was to preside over the blessing of the National Heroes Acre and the reburial of the first two National Heroes to be interred at that shrine,” said Acting President Chiwenga.
“He was, however, called at short notice to Rome by the late Pope John Paul II, now St John Paul II. Due to that unforeseen event, Archbishop Chakaipa delegated his Vicar General then, the Very Rev Father Alexio Muchabaiwa to officiate at this historical national event.
“The National Heroes Acre was blessed by this man lying in state before us today. As a nation, we shall always keep the mantra ‘Nyika inonamatirwa nevene vayo’, a legacy left by Bishop Muchabaiwa and others.
“Bishop Muchabaiwa worked closely with the Government of Zimbabwe during his term as the Bishop Chair of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.
“He always reminded some of us who were in the security sector and those serving in Government to always put the people of Zimbabwe first, in everything we do.
“I am informed that there are plans to name an institution in honour of Bishop Muchabaiwa for
his dedication to the development of education in Zimbabwe,” said Acting President Chiwenga.
The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe would always be ready to assist in whatever way possible when the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe, and in particular, in Manicaland, felt it wanted to honour the legacy of Bishop Muchabaiwa. Government enjoyed very cordial relations with the Catholic Church which had seen the country benefiting from its wide range of societal development which included health service delivery, education and most recently, food and nutrition security.
“There is a massive agricultural project, which the Catholic Church embarked on, in complementing Government’s efforts to eradicate food insecurity in Zimbabwe,” said Acting President Chiwenga.
He said Government and the Church have travelled a long journey together and the Church should not hesitate to approach authorities in Government for any assistance.
“It will be amiss, if I don’t cite some rich spiritual quotes from St John Paul II his favourite Saint, as I bid farewell to the Son of the Soil and a revered priest of the Church Bishop Muchabaiwa.
“Saint John Paul II said ‘War is a defeat for humanity’. What the Saint implied was that we should seek peace, which is an enduring tenet for economic development, freedom of worship and nurturing of the inner soul and spirit.
“Be at peace, first and foremost with the Almighty God, yourself, your community and humanity at large. Fellow Christians, congregants, our hearts are restless till we see peace in all the countries that are experiencing wars including Palestine, Israel, DRC and Mozambique.”
Speaker after speaker at the mass eulogised the influence of the late retired Bishop who is credited for grooming and training the current crop of Roman Catholic Church leaders.
Archbishop Robert Ndlovu, Bishop Emeritus Michael Bhasera, the late Bishop Martin Munyanyi, and Bishop Xavier Munyongani were among his students.
The Catholic Church was heavily represented at the mass including the representative of the Pope, local Bishops and several Fathers and Brothers.