Agostinho Neto honoured in ecumenical mass

 Luanda - A mass in homage to the first President of Angola, António Agostinho Neto, was held this Sunday, in the town of Catete, Luanda.

Organized by the Inter-Church Commission, the event joined more than a thousand believers from different religious denominations recognized by the State and representatives of the civil society.

 

For a little over four hours, the participants sang songs of praise and honoured the character of the Founder of the Nation, who was born on 17 September 1922 and died of illness in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on 10 September 1979.

 

During her intervention in the act, Reverend Deolinda Dorcas Tecas highlighted the trajectory of António Agostinho Neto and his facets as politician, physician and poet.

 

She appealed to the Church to continue praying for the Angolan Nation, underlining that it is difficult to speak about Agostinho Neto’s works.

 

Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, of the United Methodist Church, presented a brief summary of the life and work of Angola's first president.

 

He considered Neto the greatest character in the history of Angola in the 20th century, stressing that his life cannot be summarized in “small and trivial paragraphs”.

 

In his preaching, Tocoist Bishop Afonso Nunes appealed to Angolans to be generous and faithful to the principle of truth, and discouraged quarrels.

 

He recommended respect for the authorities and for elderly people, as well as the valuation of the ancestral culture and other values taught by António Agostinho Neto.

 

He asked the Angolan Church to continue working in partnership with the government, encouraging the construction of a new country.

 

Reverend Luís Nguimbi, Chairman of the Angolan Christian Forum (FCA), said on the occasion that the mass was aimed to praise the work of Agostinho Neto and to speak more about his career.

 

In accordance with Luís Nguimbi, the ecumenical mass also served to pray to God and to appeal to the new generation to follow the example of António Agostinho Neto “Manguxi”, who whoese achievements are stamped on the country's history.

 

On his turn, the Luanda Province Chieftain, Francisco Simão Cândida, considered the mass an occasion for the Head of State, João Lourenço, to renew the confidence of the Angolans towards the improvement of the social conditions.

 

He recalled Neto´s thoughts “the most important thing is to solve people´s problems”, which should always be a pillar to be fully complied with.

 

The service was held under the motto “Angolans united hand in hand for the future”, with instrumental support from the bands of the Simon Toco (Tocoist) and Simon Kimbangu (Kimbanguist) churches.

 

The mass was attended by the Head of State, João Lourenço, the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança Costa, the Parliament Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, among other personalities.

 

António Agostinho Neto was physician, poet, the first President of Angola, who proclaimed the independence of Angola on 11 November 1975.