Pope would have wanted Mugabe at funeral, or any criminal

Pope would have wanted Mugabe at funeral, or any criminal

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By Msekiwa Makwanya

I UNDERSTAND that the spiritual world is an area that we should tread with caution lest we offend the very creator that some of us worship. The death Pope John Paul 11 is a world event that should not be confused with an ordinary funeral. People from all walks have shown their respect and admiration for the Holy Father as he is known among Catholics.

On Monday, Mugabe paid rich tribute to the spiritual leader of more than one billion Catholics, saying: "His teachings should shape the way we walk, allowing especially those leaders who advocate wars, are not merciful to the poor, or who plunder resources of other countries."

Talking of Mugabe, the Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo had this to say: “That man will use any opportunity to fly to Europe to promote himself. The man is shameless."

This is not the sort of event that you use to settle your personal scores and the Holy Father would not have wanted anyone stopped from his funeral which is why the Vatican has not stopped Mugabe from attending the funeral. Now for anyone to run rings around Mugabe for attending the funeral is almost childish and desperate. We know there are serious questions being asked about the just ended election with election figures not adding up but that issue should be vigorously tackled independently, and the Pope’s death should be treated as a separate matter.

It is important for the opposition movement to have a way of understanding various issues of people’s lives and realise that the information department makes the party visible on various issues. Communal or public mourning is very important in bringing people together and our conduct should be very sensitive.

Issues should be separated without diminishing their importance in people’s lives. Instead of complaining about Mugabe attending the Pope’s funeral, Priscilla Misihairabwi of the MDC should have said something much more important, about the Pope who stood for human dignity and social justice. This has been done by almost all other leaders who follow world events.
Msekiwa Makwanya is a social commentator based in London, England
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