Luanda — Angolan Catholic Archbishop Zacarias Kamwenho died on Friday in Luanda, after an illness, the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) announced.

In a statement received by ANGOP, CEAST reports that the prelate died at the Pedro Maria Tonha "Pedalé" Hospital Complex in Luanda, at the age of 91.

The note states that CEAST expresses its solidarity with the faithful of the Archdiocese of Lubango, the Diocese of Sumbe (where he was the first bishop), family members, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Visitation of Mary (Diocesan Congregation founded by Zacarias Kamwenho).

A native of Huambo province, the deceased was ordained a priest in 1961 and appointed professor at the Bela Vista Mission, Central Plateau, where he worked for eight years, being appointed vice-rector in 1970.

He was appointed coadjutor bishop, with the right of succession, to the archbishop of Lubango on March 3, 1995, and consecrated archbishop on January 15, 1997.

He retired at the age of 75, in September 2009.

Dom Zacarias Kamwenho presided over the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) and the Ecumenical Committee for Peace in Angola (COIEPA).

In 2001, he acted as a mediator in the armed conflict in the country and, for his role in the peace process, was named co-winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament in the same year. VIC/DOJ