Parties welcome new pope
2013-03-14 13:23
Johannesburg - The appointment of Pope Francis of
Argentina was welcomed by political parties on Thursday.
"The African National Congress welcomes the
appointment of Pope Francis of Argentina
as the 266th Pontiff of the Catholic Church, who succeeds Pope Benedict
XVI," said ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu.
"The African National Congress believes that [the]
Catholic Church, as the biggest church in the world, has enormous responsibility
in the development of society as it applies to all churches and religious
formations."
He said the new pope, like his predecessors, would
endeavour to promote societal peace and morality "within the context of
accepted norms by the peoples of the world".
"We congratulate the South African Catholic
community for being part of this process, which resulted in a successful papal
conclave."
Pope Francis was appointed the new pope of the Roman
Catholic Church on Wednesday after 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI stepped down
last month.
Pope Benedict stated that the reason for his decision was
his declining health due to old age.
He became the first pope in more than 600 years to
resign.
The National Freedom Party (NFP) also welcomed the new
pope's appointment.
"As the NFP we congratulate the Roman Catholic
Church worldwide for the successful election of the new pope, and we wish the
church all the best.
"We believe that the church will continue to play an
important role on universal matters," said NFP leader Zanele
KaMagwaza-Msibi.
- SAPA
