SECAM: Africa Mourns Bishop Mfumbusa, as “Advocate for Modern Communication”
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The Catholic Church in Africa is mourning the death of Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa of Kondoa Diocese, Tanzania, a visionary leader widely celebrated for his commitment to advocating for the use of modern means of communication and social media for evangelization.
In a condolences message dated Tuesday, April 14, the very day Bishop Mfumbusa left the world, His Eminence Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu, the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), and the Archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has described the late Bishop as a passionate advocate for using modern communication tools to spread the Gospel.
To the SECAM President, this is a characteristic that marked the entire ministry of the Bishop who was ordained a priest of Dodoma Archdiocese and earned him recognition at the highest levels of the Church.
The late Tanzanian Bishop was elected the President of the Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) during the 20th Plenary Assembly of SECAM held in Kigali, Rwanda, from July 30 to August 4, 2025, and has also served as a dedicated member of the SECAM Standing Committee.
Just five days before his death, Pope Leo XIV appointed him a member of the Dicastery for Communication, a responsibility SECAM leadership describes as a testament to Bishop Mfumbusa’s exceptional expertise and commitment to evangelization through media.
Cardinal Ambongo’s message, addressed to Bishop Wolfgang Pisa, a member of the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin (OFM Cap.), and President of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), highlights a Shepherd whose influence extended well beyond his diocese.
Bishop Mfumbusa’s understanding of social communications, coupled with his humility and pastoral warmth, the Cardinal wrote, made him a true leader and a source of inspiration for many within the Church and beyond.
SECAM extended heartfelt condolences to members of TEC, Bishop Mfumbusa’s diocese, his family, and all who have interacted with the Bishop, expressing the hope that his legacy would continue to inspire the Church’s mission of evangelization through new media.
Eulogizing his immediate CEPACS president, Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of Oyo Diocese, Nigeria, expressed a great shock at Bishop Mfumbusa’s death.
“What a deeply sudden shock to learn of Bishop Bernardin Mfumbusa’s transition! Only last month at the Dicastery in Rome, I was discussing his competence and availability to serve the Church in Africa at any level. Little did I know that he was being made ready for the eternal home,” Bishop Badejo shared with AMECEA Online and added, “He was a real gentleman. May His gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”
He sent condolences to the diocese of Kondoa, to the Standing Committee of SECAM, and to all in the communications apostolate in Africa.
