Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis has today led tributes to Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, who died last night aged 95.

The Holy Father it was with ‘sadness’ that he had learned of the death of the late president but that his example would ‘inspire generations’ to come.

Mr Mandela had been receiving home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital. Jacob Zuma, the country’s current president, announced his death on South Africa national television last night.

In a telegram to President Zuma the Pope said his ‘prayers and condolences were with all the Mandela family, the government and all the people of South Africa.’

“I pay tribute to his steadfast commitment to promoting the human dignity of all the nations citizens and forging a new South Africa, built on the firm foundations of non–violence , reconciliation and the truth,” the Holy Father writes. “I pray his example will inspire generations of South Africans to justice and the common good at the forefront of their political aspirations.”

Mr Mandela had a close relationship with the Catholic Church during his struggle against apartheid.

In 1984 he wrote a letter from jail praising the Catholic Church’s engagement in social issues and expressing his appreciation for the pastoral care provided by Catholic priests on Robben Island, where he was held captive for almost two decades.

In 1995 he welcomed Blessed John Paul II to South Africa.

Mr Mandela had a touch of humanity rarely seen in political leaders, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, said in an interview earlier this year. Cardinal Napier represented the South African Catholic Church in discussions between Mr Mandela and church leaders beginning in 1990, following Mr Mandela’s release after 27 years in prison, until he retired from public life in 2004. He said he came to treasure the late president through regular meetings church leaders had with his African National Congress in the transition from apartheid to democracy.

“I came to realise that if he had met someone he had no trouble remembering their names or where they were from. To him, people mattered because of who they were, not the position they held,” the cardinal said. “That’s what I really treasure about the man.”

Pic: A stained-glass depiction of former South African president Nelson Mandela is seen at Regina Mundi Church in Soweto, South Africa.