Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula will fly out Thursday, April 24 evening to represent Kenya at the funeral of Pope Francis, set for Saturday, April 26, at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Wetangúla paid tribute to the late pontiff’s legacy as he led fellow lawmakers in offering condolences at the Apostolic Nunciature in Nairobi.
A devout Catholic, Wetang’ula described Pope Francis as “a man who dedicated his life to humanity and peaceful coexistence.”
Reflecting on the Pope’s many statements, he told journalists, “When we observed a minute of silence in the House, I quoted one of his profound statements: “The world is like a public hospital that heals wounds but wounds hearts. He stood for building bridges between people and communities, not erecting walls.”
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who joined the delegation, echoed those sentiments. “He was a very gentle person who struggled in prayer for the world,” Odinga said. “Each time there was trouble anywhere, he was a voice of reason. He spoke for the downtrodden and the weakest among us, and he stood firmly against injustice.”
Although not a Catholic, Odinga emphasized his solidarity with Kenyan Catholics. “I hope the Catholic Church gets another Pope like him. I am a Christian and a friend of Catholics. That is why we are all deeply pained by the loss of Pope Francis. As the Speaker said, he was the first Pope from the Global South and exemplified the spirit of hope, reconciliation, and compassion.”
Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, Kenya’s Apostolic Nuncio, provided a spiritual perspective on Pope Francis’s approach to leadership. “The Lord does not choose someone to do his work based on qualifications but on the mercy he has for them,” the Nuncio said. “That principle didn’t apply only to himself; it extended to those around him. Many of the people he surrounded himself with were wounded, distant from Christ, yet he showed them mercy, appointed them, worked with them, and helped lift them from crisis.”
With Kenya’s official delegation now en route to Rome, Wetang’ula and his colleagues will join global leaders in mourning a Pope whose tenure reshaped the Church’s dialogue on social justice, interfaith outreach, and the plight of the marginalized.
