Liberia: Monrovia Shuts Down for Kpakala - a Rich, Festive Send-Off for 'Poor, No Friend'

Thousands of Liberians stand in the court yard and outside the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Board Street defying the heavy down pull of rain; to pay their last respect to the man who was known as the conscience of the nation. Many here today saw Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis as the voice of the nation not only the Catholic Church for he was not afraid to speak truth to the power that be.

The crowd moved closer, the Knights of St. John and others tried to control them as the Archbishop emeritus is being lay to rest in the compound of the Cathedral. The bell finally rings. The coffin is placed in the vault. "From dust to dust," the priest says aloud. Many break down in tears. People outside as many inside the hall weep in tribute to the man many had come to know as "poor no friend".

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