“To the Lord who guided him throughout his entire life, I entrust this tireless servant of the Gospel and the Church, asking him to be welcomed in the heavenly Jerusalem, to which I invite all those participating in the funeral liturgy for Dom Alexandre to raise their hearts.”
Dos Santos died on the evening of Sept. 29 in Maputo, the capital city where he served as archbishop for nearly three decades.
Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi also told local media that the country had lost “one of its best sons who stood out in the world for his commitment to the good of humanity, regardless of social status, race, or any other form of distinction.”
Dos Santos was born on March 18, 1924, in Zavala, southeastern Mozambique, at a time when the African nation was still a colony of Portugal.
He attended a minor seminary run by the Franciscan order in Mozambique’s central zone before being sent to Malawi to study philosophy as there was no local major seminary at the time.
At the age of 23, Dos Santos studied with the Franciscans in Portugal and was ordained a priest in the order on June 25, 1953, becoming Mozambique’s first indigenous priest.
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