TANZANIA: Cardinal Pengo expresses concern over the Vacant Dioceses in the country

His
Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo of the Archdiocese of Dar es salaam has said
that the five vacant dioceses in Tanzania are a big burden to the Church in
Tanzania and a great cause of concern not only for him but for the whole Church
in the country.
The
Cardinal said this during the closing ceremony of a workshop for the Holy
Infant Jesus, which was held in the Diocese of Ifakara for all the children
from the eight Dioceses in the Eastern Deanery and where he was the main
celebrant.
The
five vacant dioceses include the Diocese of Songea, which was left vacant following
the retirement of Bishop Norbet Mtega; The diocese of Shinyanya, which was left
vacant following the death of late Bishop Aloysius Balina and the Diocese of
Singida which fell vacant following the transfer of Bishop DesderiusRwoma to
the Diocese of Bukoba. The Diocese of Bukoba was left vacant when Bishop Nestor
Timanywa retired.
The
other vacant Dioceses include Kigoma, which is currently under apostolic
administration of His Grace, Most Rev. Paul Ruzoka, Archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Tabora and the diocese of Mpanda, which is under apostolic
administration of the Bishop Damian Kyaruzi of Sumbawanga Diocese.
Speaking
during the workshop, which was also attended by four other bishops, namely Bishop
Theresphore Mkude, of Morogoro, Bishop Agapit Ndorobo of Mahenge, Bishop
Salutarius Libena of Ifakara, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Dar es Salaam Bishop
Eusebius Nzigilwa; Cardinal Pengo appealed to the children who were attending
the workshop to pray unceasingly to God for his intervention so that the vacant
dioceses can get shepherds.
“My
humble request to you my little children is to use the power of your prayers
because God listen more to the prayers of little children like you. We adults
have committed so many sins; that even though we may appear righteous before
everybody else, if our sins are to be revealed before everyone here, some of us
would lack places to hide our faces. But you little children, are pure in heart
and mind, you haven’t committed sins like majority of us here and because of
that your prayers are pure before Almighty God,” the Cardinal said.
Currently,
Tanzania is not the only AMECEA country with vacant Dioceses others include
South Sudan and Zambia. South Sudan has three vacant dioceses out of the seven
Dioceses in the country. They include: Malakal, which fell vacant in 2009
following the retirement of Bishop Vincent Mojwok Nyiker. The diocese is
currently under Apostolic Administration of Msgr. Roko Taban Mousa.
Rumbek
Diocese in South Sudan fell vacant following the death of Bishop Cesare
Mazzolari, MCCI, while Torit Diocese fell vacant following the death of Bishop
Akio Johnson Mutek on 18th March 2013.
In
Zambia Mansa Diocese fell vacant following the retirement of Bishop Andrew
Aaron Chisha in 2009; the diocese is currently under Apostolic Administration
of Fr. Michel Merizzi M. Afr. Mpika is the other vacant diocese in Zambia and
is currently under Apostolic Administration of Archbishop Ignatius Chama. The
Diocese has been vacant since 2012 when Archbishop Ignatius Chama who was the
bishop for the diocese since 2008 was elevated to the position of an Archbishop
and designated to the Archdiocese of Kasama.
Source: AMECEA
Social Communications and Tanzania Episcopal Conference

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