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Zimbabwe: Archbishop of Harare dies


Source: CISA

The Archbishop of Harare, Zimbabwe, the Most Rev Patrick Fani Chakaipa, died yesterday morning. He was 71.

The Catholic Information Service of Africa (CISA) received the news from the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA).

The message, signed by Fr CT Mashonganyika, Director of IMBIS, said: "IMBISA sadly informs you of the death of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Harare, Archbishop Patrick Fani Chakaipa. He died at St Annes Hospital this morning, 8 April 2003.

Fr Mashonganyika said that mourners were to gather at the Old Highfield Catholic Church. Viewing of the body will be on Sunday April 13, 2003, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Harare, as from 3:00pm, followed by Mass at 6pm.

The burial, is on Monday, 14 April 2003. There will be Mass at the City Sports Centre at 11.00 am, followed by burial at Chishawasha.

Archbishop Chakaipa was born on June 25, 1932 in Mhondoro, Zimbabwe. He was ordained priest in 1965, for the then Salisbury Archdiocese, which was later (June 1982) renamed the Archdiocese of Harare. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop for Harare in 1972, before his episcopal ordination on January 14, 1973. Three years later, May 31, 1976, Chakaipa was appointed Archbishop of Salisbury, following the resignation of Archbishop Francis William Markall, SJ, who later passed away in 1992.

During the special synod of African Bishops held in Rome in 1994, he made interventions in various aspects of the life of the Church in Africa.

Speaking about justice and peace, he said: "The church can only promote justice if it makes all efforts to avoid injustice within the Church itself."

On evangelization, he said: "Evangelisation must begin in the family which is the domestic Church and in which men and women exercise their complementary roles. But present ways of contracting marriage are excluding vast numbers from the sacraments of the Church. We need a reappraisal of the Church's marriage regulations and of Christian family life."

By the time Archbishop Chakaipa died, he had served the Church as priest for 37 years, and as bishop for 30 years.

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