Spika wa Bunge la Kitaifa Moses Wetang’ula anatarajiwa kuondoka nchini Alhamisi jioni kuelekea Vatican, kuhudhuria mazishi ya Papa Francis yatakayofanyika Jumamosi katika uwanja wa Kanisa la St. Peter’s Square, Vatican. Rais William Ruto amemteua Wetang’ula kuiwakilisha Kenya kwenye hafla hiyo ya heshima itakayowavutia maelfu ya watu kutoka mataifa mbalimbali.

Akizungumza katika Ubalozi wa Papa nchini (Apostolic Nunciature) jijini Nairobi alipoongoza wabunge kuwasilisha rambirambi, Wetang’ula ambaye ni Mkatoliki amemtaja Papa Francis kuwa kiongozi aliyejitolea kwa ajili ya huduma yake.

Wetangula alisema, “In my communication to the House, when we observed a minute of silence, 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. We may not have a perfect world, but we need one where everyone is a brother or sister, regardless of background, religion, or social status.”

Kiongozi wa ODM Raila Odinga amemkumbuka Papa Francis alivyoyagusa maisha ya wengi na kutoa matumaini kwa vizazi mbalimbali.

Raila alisema “He was a very gentle person who struggled in prayer for the world. 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.”

Odinga alisema kuwa ingawa yeye si Mkatoliki, ni rafiki wa Kanisa hilo na aliguswa sana na kifo cha Papa Francis. Aliongeza “I hope the Catholic Church gets another Pope like him. 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.”

Naye Balozi wa Papa, Askofu Mkuu Hubertus, alisema urithi wa Papa Francis unapaswa kuangaliwa kwa jicho la kiroho, akieleza kuwa Mungu huchagua kufanya kazi na watu si kwa sifa zao, bali kwa rehema zake.

“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,” aliongeza Nuncio.