{"id":117837,"date":"2025-04-24T05:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T04:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=117837"},"modified":"2025-04-24T05:34:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T04:34:08","slug":"obi-joins-other-dignitaries-to-pay-last-respect-to-pope-francis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/obi-joins-other-dignitaries-to-pay-last-respect-to-pope-francis\/","title":{"rendered":"Obi Joins Other Dignitaries to Pay Last Respect to Pope Francis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"m#msg-f:1830215067059026993\" class=\"mail-message expanded\">\n<div class=\"mail-message-header spacer\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Myke Agunwa<\/div>\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1830215067059026993-content\" class=\"mail-message-content collapsible zoom-normal mail-show-images \" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"clear\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, on Wednesday, joined global dignitaries in Vatican City to pay final respects to the late Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Obi, a Papal Knight of the Church, joined Nigeria&#8217;s Vatican Veteran, 93-year-old Cardinal Francis Arinze to witness the Pontiff&#8217;s lying in state.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\">Pope Francis died on Monday, aged 88.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Writing on his X handle, the LP standards bearer, in an article titled, &#8220;Legacy of Light: What Pope Francis Taught the World&#8221; Obi stated, &#8220;Today, I joined Francis Cardinal Arinze, global dignitaries, and thousands of mourners at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, Rome, to pay my final respects to His Holiness, Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21. The solemn lying-in-state ceremony was a moment of deep reflection, as the world bid farewell to a man who embodied humility, simplicity, and selfless service.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Pope Francis was more than a Pontiff; he was a moral light in a world darkened by inequality and indifference. His life was a testament to leadership as a sacred duty, one rooted in compassion, truth, and service to the poor and marginalised. He lived for others, spoke for the voiceless, and reminded us all that leadership must be about lifting others, not self-exaltation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I came to truly appreciate what he stood for after my appointment as a member of Scholars Occultantes &#8211; an international circle of thinkers he founded during his time as Archbishop. The organisation, dedicated to truth, ethical leadership, and social transformation, gave me a deeper insight into the intellectual and moral force behind his teachings.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I was blessed to meet Pope Francis on three occasions. Each encounter left a lasting impression. He radiated peace and inspired faith, and his presence was a quiet yet powerful reminder of the divine responsibility that leadership entails. His humility was infectious, his vision deeply human.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;As we mourn this great soul, I urge political, religious, and community leaders, especially across Africa, to reflect on his life and commit to the values he upheld: justice, peace, and human dignity. Let this moment not just be one of mourning, but a call to lead with conscience, walk with the people, and govern with love.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;May Pope Francis\u2019 soul rest in perfect peace, and may his legacy live on in all who seek to serve humanity selflessly\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mail-message-footer spacer collapsible\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Myke Agunwa The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, on Wednesday, joined global dignitaries in Vatican City to pay final respects&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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