’Marafaele Mohloboli
LESOTHO’S street vendors association Khathang-Tema- Baitšokoli has been invited by Pope Francis to attend the 3rd Popular Movement Conference to be held in the Vatican City from 2 to 6 November 2016.
This is the third consecutive meeting held by the Pope, bringing together delegates from popular movements from around the world.
The association’s president Tšolo Lebitsa said he would attend on behalf of the association.
He said they were “humbled by this gesture as it shows that somewhere there is someone who still considers us though our own government marginalises us.”
“We are very lucky as there are other prominent people who wanted to attend but were not invited,” he said.
He also said he also looked forward to a positive outcome from the meeting since the Pope had a soft spot for the poor and marginalised.
In August, Pope Francis donated US$400 000 to the government of Lesotho to mitigate effects of the El Niño-induced drought that also ravaged other countries in southern Africa.
The meeting also comes shortly after the Pope promoted 17 Roman Catholic prelates from around the world to the rank of cardinal, including 13 who are under 80 years old and thus eligible to succeed him one day.
Lesotho’s retired Bishop Koto Sabastian Khoarai made it onto the list, the first time a Mosotho had done so in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
