Vatican City – Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has extended his condolences to Pope Francis following the death of Vice President Saulos Chilima. Chilima, a devout Catholic, died in a Malawi Army plane crash on 10 June in Chikangawa forest.
Chakwera expressed his condolences today during a meeting with the Pope in Vatican City. Chilima, a devout Catholic, had met the Pope in 2016.
“I expressed my sadness and condolences to His Holiness on the recent tragic passing of Former Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, whom the Pope had met in 2016.
“I mentioned that the late Dr. Chilima was a devout Catholic and a source of inspiration for millions of Malawians,” Chakwera said in a Facebook post, adding that he thanked the Pontiff for the exceptional leadership and ministry of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi in guiding Malawians through the shock, grief, and confusion that followed the tragic plane crash that claimed Dr. Chilima’s life.
This is the first time Chakwera has met the Pope in person.
President Chakwera’s trip to the Vatican has sparked speculation on social media. The government has yet to confirm whether President Chakwera’s visit is directly connected to Chilima’s death last June.
Following his death, the Catholic Bishops in Malawi called for a thorough investigation amid ongoing allegations of foul play. During Chilima’s funeral, His Grace Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa of the Archdiocese of Blantyre openly voiced the Church’s concerns over the circumstances surrounding the Vice President’s death. The Archbishop noted that “several questions” about the plane crash remained unanswered.
Chilima was considered a strong contender against Chakwera in the 2025 Malawi presidential elections. Interestingly, the Catholic bishops in Malawi have been criticising President Chakwera, stating that under his leadership, the country is witnessing a “glaring failure of leadership.”
Following his death, the Catholic Church in Malawi forwarded Chilima’s name as potential candidate for sainthood. While acknowledging that the process of canonizing someone as a saint typically takes about five years, Archbishop Msusa urged the Church in Vatican to consider an early assessment of Chilima for possible canonization.
Barely a month after the tragic accident, the Catholic Bishops of Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe also met with President Chakwera. Details of their discussions were kept under wraps. Meanwhile, several Catholic churches across the region and globally continue to hold memorial masses in honour of Chilima.
The plane crash on June 10, 2024, in Chikangawa Forest claimed 10 lives, including that of former First Lady Patricia Shanil Zimbiri Muluzi, another devout Catholic.
In a Facebook post, former President Joyce Banda likened Chilima’s death to previous assassinations and unexplained deaths of people holding dissident views during the era of the Malawi Congress Party. Banda said Chilima’s death evoked memories of the infamous Mwanza murders.
“In 1983, four Ministers and an MP were abducted and slaughtered like chickens in Mwanza Forest. I was old enough to witness…this time around!!! Losing nine people…Eeeish. The majority of them I have known. Most painful for me is the death of my son Saulos and my sister-in-law Shanil Patricia A Nadzimbiri,” said Banda.
