Bishop prays for Nelson Mandela`s ‘peaceful, perfect end`

Zee Media Bureau Cape Town: As the South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela remains critically ill in a Pretoria hospital, Archbishop of Cape Town prayed for Madiba, asking for a "a quiet night and a peaceful, perfect, end". Mandela’s condition remained unchanged on Tuesday at Pretoria Heart hospital, where he was brought on June 8 after he suffered a cardiac arrest in wake of recurrent lung infection. Archbishop Thabo Makgoba prayed with the family of former president at the hospital reciting a prayer that was posted on the bishop’s website, the CNN reported. "Fill them with your holy courage and the gift of trusting faith, and take away their fears so that they may dare to face their grief and bring it to your presence. May they know the truth of your promise that ‘blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” he said. “May your blessing rest upon Madiba now and always. Grant him, we pray, a quiet night and a peaceful, perfect, end,” the bishop said in prayer. The bishop also prayed for the medical staff “so that they may know how to use their skills wisely and well, in caring for Madiba”. "And uphold all of us with your steadfast love so that we may be filled with gratitude for all the good that he has done for us and for our nation, and may honor his legacy through our lives, “ the bishop prayed. Dozens of doves were released on Tuesday outside the hospital, which has attracted well-wishers who have gathered outside to leave messages of support for Mandela. Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison during white racist rule and became South Africa`s first black president in all-race elections in 1994, was taken to the hospital on June 8 to be treated for what the government described as a recurring lung infection. Zuma`s office said doctors were doing their best to ensure his recovery and comfort. "We must demonstrate our love and appreciation for his leadership during the struggle for liberation and in our first few years of freedom and democracy by living out his legacy and promoting unity, non-racialism, non-sexism and prosperity in our country."

The president asked that the legacy of Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba, be celebrated on July 18, his 95th birthday. In recent years, organizers have sought to turn the day into an international event in which participants do something to honor Mandela`s values for 67 minutes, noting that he spent 67 years as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner, a peacemaker and a democratically elected president. With Agency Inputs