{"id":23044,"date":"2025-09-02T12:13:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/?p=23044"},"modified":"2025-09-02T12:13:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:13:32","slug":"tanzania-tanzanian-bishops-voice-concerns-at-countrys-special-prayer-for-justice-and-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/2025\/09\/02\/tanzania-tanzanian-bishops-voice-concerns-at-countrys-special-prayer-for-justice-and-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"TANZANIA: Tanzanian Bishops Voice Concerns at Country\u2019s Special Prayer for Justice and Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dalphina Rubyema<\/p>\n

Catholic faithful in Tanzania have actively participated in prayers and retreats to intercede for justice and peace in the nation, particularly during this period as the country approaches the General Elections.<\/p>\n

During these prayers, bishops from various dioceses issued warnings to prevent the nation from falling into chaos and cautioned leaders against pushing their policies under the guise of \u201cadvice.\u201d Rather, they urged those in power to refrain from leading the country through manipulative tactics.<\/p>\n

The bishops also emphasized that a nation without justice is like hell. They encouraged those in positions of authority to acknowledge their shortcomings, repent, and return to God so that their leadership aligns with the will of the Creator.<\/p>\n

These prayers and retreats were in response to a pastoral directive from the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) issued on June 20 this year. The directive called for August 23 to be set aside as a day of prayer and fasting for the faithful to pray for the country to remain in justice and peace. It also provided special prayers and guidelines for liturgical improvements within the Catholic Church in the country.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Rugambwa urges leaders to admit weaknesses, act justly<\/strong><\/p>\n

His Eminence Protase Cardinal Rugambwa, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Tabora, during the prayers held in his Archdiocese and attended by hundreds of believers, called upon everyone, including leaders, to examine themselves. He urged that if they discover wrongdoing, they should admit their weaknesses before God so that they may be forgiven and return to joy that will also enable them to treat others well.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone must accept that they are weak and in need of help. However, that alone is not enough…what is required is the power of Almighty God who will strengthen all that is weak, whether knees, legs, or trembling hands. He will make everything strong. Once you admit that you have wronged your fellow human being or God Himself, then be ready to be corrected and ultimately enter into true joy. God restores to His glory those who have strayed, especially when they repent and confess their deviation,\u201d he said, asking God\u2019s people to emulate the example of St. Paul the apostle.<\/p>\n

He further stated that leaders must accept the need to change by seeking God\u2019s power to protect them from things that do not bring justice, peace, development, and stability in the communities or societies they lead.<\/p>\n

From the Catholic Archdiocese of Songea, Archbishop Damian Dallu urged leaders who retire from positions of power, including in government, to refrain from influencing those currently in power under the pretence of \u201cgiving advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that when a leader completes their term and has implemented good and meaningful initiatives, upon retirement, they should willingly step aside from leadership circles because what they might perceive as advice could end up misleading the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen your leadership term ends, move on and engage in other activities, such as business, to contribute to the country through tax payment. When you retire, make it a real retirement! he said.\"\"<\/p>\n

According to Bishop Jovitus Mwijage of Bukoba Diocese, there can be no peace in a country governed with trickery, secrecy, and lies. He urged top leaders not to misuse the Constitution by interpreting only provisions that protect their positions, but rather to uphold it according to the intentions of the nation and its people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Constitution should be adhered to in its entirety, and only then will justice prevail and peace exist,\u201d emphasized Bishop Mwijage during a Holy Mass to pray for justice and peace in the nation.<\/p>\n

Bishop Edward Mapunda of the Catholic Diocese of Singida and Chairman of the Laity Department of TEC said that peace is the fruit of justice, and without justice, there is no peace. He stressed that a world, family, church, or nation without justice is hell.<\/p>\n

He made these remarks during the conclusion of the 6th National Catholic Youth Congress held in the Archdiocese of Mbeya, which brought together more than 4,000 Catholic youths from various dioceses in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cA world without justice is hell; likewise, a family without justice is hell; a Church without justice is hell; and a nation without justice is hell…Therefore, we join fellow Tanzanians in seeking the grace of justice and peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He further noted that issues of justice and peace are promoted by all faiths, which is why even greetings exchanged in interfaith gatherings emphasize \u2018love, justice, and peace.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cJustice prevents many conflicts; justice brings joy; justice fosters love and genuine solidarity. My brothers and sisters, let us not tire of praying for our nation, for our families, and for ourselves so that we may be people of justice,\u201d he said and added, \u201cAs I said, a world without justice is hell, it is ruled by the devil. Where there is no justice, satan reigns. Therefore, let us act justly, and Holy Mother Church invites us to be instruments of justice,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dalphina Rubyema Catholic faithful in Tanzania have actively participated in prayers and retreats to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amecea-news","category-tanzania"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23047,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23044\/revisions\/23047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}