Members of the Catholic Church in South Africa gathered at the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Johannesburg on Wednesday to attend a memorial mass paying tribute to the late Pope Francis.
Taking advantage of the May Day public holiday in South Africa, a large number of Catholic faithful came to the Soweto church to honour the pontiff, who passed away earlier this week.
The memorial service was followed by a series of speeches and tributes delivered by Archbishops and prominent members of the Catholic community. A tree was also planted at the church as a lasting symbol to remember the late Pope.
Dr. Sheila Leocádia Pires, the communications officer for the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), expressed her hope that the next leader of the Catholic Church would continue the legacy established by Pope Francis. “Whether we have a Black pope or an Asian pope or a European pope, what we want is just somebody that will continue that legacy of Pope Francis of promoting peace,” she said.
Reverend Mzwandile Molo, the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), reflected on Pope Francis’s impact, stating, “His Holiness Pope Francis calls us together in this memorial to thank God for a life of love for the poor.” He added, “We choose to honour and remember Pope Francis because he is one given by God to challenge the church and reconnect the church to its mission.”
With the cardinals eligible to elect the new pope set to begin their conclave at the Sistine Chapel next Wednesday, discussions are underway about the potential successor. While some Catholic Africans acknowledge that the possibility of a pope from sub-Saharan Africa is a long shot, there is cautious optimism among some that Pope Francis’s successor could be a Black cardinal from the continent, which would be a historic first for the Catholic Church.
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