TANZANIA: Cardinal Pengo Dies Hours After Arriving from India
By Dalphina Rubyema
His Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, the Archbishop Emeritus of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania died hours after he landed back in the country from India where he has been undergoing treatment since late December 2025.
Speaking during the morning prayer of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) Secretariat on Friday, February 20, the Secretary General Fr. Charles Kitima, said Cardinal Pengo died only hours after landing from India, where he had been undergoing treatment since December 27, 2025.
He explained that while in India even though the Cardinal received good medical care, his health did not improve. As his condition continued to deteriorate, he requested to be returned to Tanzania. He was then flown back and was received on the evening of February 19, around 6:00 p.m, at Julius Nyerere International Airport, before being transferred to Jakaya Kikwete Heart Institute (JKCI) in Dar es Salaam where he died at 2200 hours.
The TEC Secretary General said the Church in Tanzania has lost an important figure who fought tirelessly for the Church while upholding moral values in both the Church and the nation at large.
He called on the faithful to pray for his repose, saying “Everyone should pray for His Eminence Pengo so that God may forgive the sins he committed as a human being and receive him into his eternal dwelling… Let us not cease praying for him, for God listens to the prayers and supplications of each one.”
The faithful and Tanzanians in general will remember Cardinal Pengo for his gentle character and calm manner of speaking, even when addressing sensitive and weighty matters of faith or when criticizing political leadership systems, the government, and its leaders.
Despite his gentle tone, he was a Church leader who was not afraid to speak the truth, even when that truth was unpopular with those in power.
Among the issues he boldly addressed was the corruption scandal in Tanzania that intensified in the 2000s, where he emphasized that the theft of public resources is not only a legal offense but also a moral sin.
Before his retirement, Cardinal Pengo continued working closely with TEC bishops in issuing statements and reflections on the future of the nation, including matters concerning General Elections and violence against innocent people.
He was also a strong defender and guardian of moral values, urging families to prioritize formation according to the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church. Because of the importance he placed on moral formation, Cardinal Pengo gave strong support to the Pontifical Missionary Childhood Association, leaving a lasting mark in the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, where members proudly identify themselves as “Sisi ni Watoto wa Kardinali Pengo” (we are the children of Cardinal Pengo).
Biography
Cardinal Polycarp Pengo was born on 5 August 1944. He was ordained a priest in 1971 by Bishop Charles Msakila. He studied Moral Theology in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, obtaining a doctorate in 1977. He taught Moral theology in Kipalapala Theological Seminary for a short time, and then became the first Rector of Segerea Theological Seminary in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese up to 1983.
He was made Bishop of Nachingwea (now Lindi) in 1983 and of Tunduru-Masasi in 1985. In 1990 he was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Dar es Salaam Archdiocese , and in 1992 he became Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam following the resignation of Cardinal Laurean Rugambwa.
He proclaimed a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in the consistory of 21 February 1998. Cardinal Pengo was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.
He has the following Curial Memberships Evangelization of the Peoples, Doctrine of Faith (congregations). Interreligious Dialogue, Culture (councils) Special Council for Africa of the General of the Synod of Bishops.
Since 2007 he has been president of the SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar). On 18 September 2012, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a Synod Father for the October 2012 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Pope Francis accepted his retirement as archbishop on 15 August 2019.
On 19th February 2026, around 10: 00 pm as announced Archdiocese, Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi, OFM. cap, he passed away while receiving treatment at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI).
May God grant eternal rest to His Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo
