Christians pay tribute to Pope Francis at National Memorial Service
Pope Francis National Memorial Service Regina Mundi Church in Soweto
By Kati Dijane – Members from different Christian denominations, clad in their church regalia, gathered in Soweto, the heart of South Africa’s rich history, to pay their last respects to Pope Francis at Regina Mundi Catholic Church on May 1.
The church, long celebrated as a sanctuary for the oppressed during apartheid, opened its iconic doors to welcome mourners from across the city who had come to honour the late 266th pontiff, who passed away from a stroke and heart failure on Easter Monday morning.
This day, an international holiday that commemorates workers, also marked a day of profound unity across different churches as the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) and the South African Council of Churches (SACC) jointly hosted the national memorial service for the beloved Pope. The historic church was filled to capacity, drawn by the memory of a pontiff whose mission echoed the same gospel that once shook the walls of Regina Mundi with chants of freedom.
Prominent political figures, including ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, were also present, offering their respects.
A Church Woven into South Africa’s Liberation
For decades, Regina Mundi — Latin for “Queen of the World” — has stood not only as the largest Catholic church in South Africa, but also as a spiritual support of resistance. In the darkest days of apartheid, it offered refuge to those fleeing tear gas and bullets. Activists like Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, who himself delivered a stirring tribute during the service, once found safety and strength within its walls.
It was fitting, then, that this sacred place, where stained glass and bullet holes bear silent witness to bloodshed and struggle, should host a tribute to a pope who lived and preached the gospel of the poor, the persecuted and the forgotten.
A Symphony of Faith
The mood inside the church was reverent yet jubilant. Hymns soared to the vaulted ceiling, carried by the powerful voices of the St Cecilia Sodality and Baratuwa Ba Morena Choir.
Father Lawrence Ndlovu, the eloquent MC and administrator of Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg, opened the service by welcoming dignitaries, bishops and faith leaders. His warm introduction set the tone for a morning not of mourning, but of deep gratitude.
He highlighted the purpose of the programme – to gather not to weep but to remember a spiritual leader who reminded us of what it means to follow Christ radically.
Gospel as Guiding Light: “Feed My Sheep”
The Gospel reading, John 21:15–20, was no coincidence. In it, Jesus asks Peter three times: “Do you love me?” — each time followed by the command, “Feed my sheep.” It was this passage that formed the cornerstone of the homily delivered by Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, President of the SACC and Bishop of Mthatha. In a way, it also reminds one of one of Pope Francis’ teachings that priests must “stay close to the marginalised and to be shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.”
In a stirring message, Bishop Sipuka drew a direct line between Christ’s call to Peter and Pope Francis’s lifelong commitment to care for the marginalised.
He mentioned that Pope Francis fed the flock not from a distance, but from where the people lived. Pope Francis was known and loved for going out to the peripheries, to the homeless, the prisoners, the outcast.
The Bishop of Mthatha Diocese also challenged those present — clergy and laity alike — to follow in the Pope’s footsteps by prioritising the poor and advocating for systemic justice. Bishop Sipuka highlighted the humble qualities of the pope, who opted for a modest lifestyle and even chose to live in a simple apartment, and radical prioritisation of the forgotten, migrants and those impacted by wars, kissing the feet of leaders from these war-torn countries to appeal for an end to wars.
“Pope Francis didn’t just offer compassion, he challenged the structures that perpetuate injustice,” Bishop Sipuka said, adding that the pope advocated for solidarity that transcended religious and social boundaries.
Embodied Hope and Radical Love
Reverend Mzwandile Molo, secretary-general of the SACC, echoed the bishop’s call.
“We remember Pope Francis because in him, we saw the embodiment of hope, built on radical love,” he said. “He reconnected the Church with its mission — to love those whom the world chooses to ignore.”
That theme of radical love was woven through each tribute. Mgr Dario Pavisa, of the Apostolic Nunciature to South Africa, described the Pope as “a humble servant who chose to live not above the people, but among them.” He recalled the Pope’s often spontaneous acts of kindness — kissing the feet of refugees, washing the hands of lepers and speaking boldly against the machinery of indifference.
Reverend Dr Nioma Venter, vice president of the SACC, praised the pontiff’s relentless advocacy for peace, interfaith dialogue, and environmental justice. “He reminded us that faith without justice is hollow. That the Earth is not ours to exploit, but to tend,” she said, nodding to the Pope’s influential encyclical Laudato Si’.
Laudato Si’: Our Common Home
Mr Sifiso Ndwandwe, the chairperson of the Laudato Si’ Movement in South Africa, focused his tribute on Pope Francis’s ecological legacy. He highlighted the Pope’s efforts to place environmental care at the centre of spiritual life.
Mr Ndwane mentioned that the Pope taught people that the cry of the Earth is the cry of the poor. That people must see creation as sacred. On behalf of the movement, he presented the church with a tree, which was planted by the religious leaders after the service in memory of the pope’s call for people to take care of our common home.
A Pope for the People
Archbishop Zolile Mpambani from the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein shared personal reflections from his encounter with the Pope in Rome, painting a picture of a man who embodied warmth, humility and spiritual wisdom.
The archbishop recalled that in June 2023, when the bishops of Southern Africa travelled to Rome for their Ad Limina to meet with the Pope, it seemed unlikely that they would get a chance to see him, because of the Pope’s hernia surgery. But, said Archbishop Mpambani, the pope insisted on spending some time with them after being discharged from the hospital. He told this story, highlighting the kind of leader the pope was, one who wanted to be with people and one who cared.
From Soweto to the World
In his closing remarks, Bishop Mpumlwana, a retired bishop of the Ethiopian Episcopal Church, reminded the congregation of the legacy Regina Mundi shares with Pope Francis — a shared mission of justice, mercy and peace.
His tribute indicated that this church was once a refuge during the tyranny of apartheid and now was a light to the world, just as Pope Francis was.
Pope Francis’s spirit has found a home in Soweto, just like in many places around the world, among the people who knew suffering, struggle, and — above all — faith.
