TANZANIA: Cardinal Pengo Commissions Children to Evangelize to the Island.
H.E. Polycarp Cardinal Pengo
By Geofrey Hilmary, Kiongozi Newspaper, TEC
The Archbishop of Dar es Salam, His Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo has asked the Pontifical Missionary Society (PMS) Children to make their pilgrimage to Mafia Island as an Evangelization event that will make Faith grow in the Island.
Pengo
Cardinal Pengo said this when he was flagging off PMS Children from the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam who were also joined by PMS children from Ifakara and Mpanda dioceses.
Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam has resolved to make annual pilgrimage to Mafia, an Island (in the territory of the archdiocese of Dar es salaam) with Muslim majority. According to the census conducted in 2013 Mafia Island (in the Indian Ocean) has a population of above 45,000 with Catholics being only 10% of the total population.
According to the Auxiliary Bishop of Dar es Salaam, Rt Rev Eusebius Nzigilwa, who was in the Island, Cardinal Pengo is the person behind the PMS annual pilgrimage idea to the Island. Cardinal Pengo experienced a stigma towards the Island; People associated the appointments to the island with the punishment.
“Cardinal Pengo experienced this and said felt the need to change this mentality by having annual event in the island with children; Children are innocent, let us start with them,” he said.
The Parish Priest of Mafia, Rev Fr. Francis Masawe said that they have started experiencing the impact of the PMS children’s pilgrimage to the island because there have been a number of converts to the Catholic faith in recent days.
The District Executive Director of Mafia asked the Archdiocese through Bishop Nzigilwa to build a high school and a health centre in the island and the government would be ready to offer them land.
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