By NOBERT KOKE
CARDINAL His Eminence Sir John Ribat led the final State Funeral Mass for the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare.
Sir Hurbert Murry Stadium was packed to capacity with more than 20,000 Papua New Guineans including Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers, State Ministers, members of parliament, members of diplomatic corps, former parliamentarian, public servants and private citizens who gathered to pay their final respect and bid farewell to the founding father of Papua New Guinea.
Cardinal Ribat said in life the Grand Chief Right Honorable Sir Michael Thomas Somare cherished the Gospel of Christ.
He said Gods servant Sir Michael has fallen asleep in Christ and will rise again through Christ as professes in the Christain faith that ‘Jesus died and rose again’.
“Lord as we farewell the first leader of PNG Government, we pray for our national and provincial government leaders. Keep them ever mindful of their responsibility to protect the common good and true development of our people and nation.
“We pray in thanksgiving for the life and leadership of our founding father Sir Michael Thomas Somare, who spent a long life of dedicated service in an extraordinary and yet humble way. Call him now of your peace and glory and grant him eternal rest.
“Hold in your heart filled with compassion, Lady Veronica and the whole family, relatives and friends as they mourn passing of Grand Chief Sir Michael. Give them comfort and assurance in his life of faith and fidelity to you and may they rejoice in the peace he now shares with you.
“Bless and protect the people of PNG as we uphold the legacy of Grand Chief Sir Michael. May our land and tradition be protected and respected and may we continue to be faithful to your ways and live in peace, health and harmony in these trying.”
His Eminence Cardinal Ribat blessed the body of Sir Michael in prayer saying, “All of us who were baptized into death, by baptism into death we have buried together with him so that just as Christ was raised again from the death by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with him by likeness to his death, so shall we be united with him by likeness in his resurrection.”
Cardinal Ribat said Sir Michael held onto his Christian faith and was a faithful catholic member right through to his final hours of death.
