Protase Rugambwa (born 31 May 1960) is a Tanzanian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

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who has been metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Tabora since November 2023, after serving as coadjutor there for seven months. He was a secretary of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

from November 2017 to April 2023. He previously served as that congregation's adjunct secretary and president of the

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from 2012 to 2017.

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

made him a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

on 30 September 2023.

Biography

Protase Rugambwa was born on 31 May 1960 at Bunena, in the diocese of Bukoba. He had an elder brother, Paulo Kishumba (1957-2021). He was given the name "Rugambwa" after

Laurean Rugambwa Laurean Rugambwa (12 July 1912 – 8 December 1997) was a Catholic Church in Tanzania, Tanzanian Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam, Archbishop of Dar es Salaam from 1968 to 1992. He was made a Cardinal (Ca ...

, who had become Tanzania's first cardinal a few weeks earlier. After attending primary and secondary schools and Minor Seminary Katoke Itaga, Rugambwa studied philosophy at Kibosho Senior Seminary and theology at St. Charles Lwanga Segerea Senior Seminary. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest for the Diocese of Rulenge on 2 September 1990 in

Dar-es-Salaam Dar es Salaam (, ; from ) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over 7 million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa by population and the ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

during his pastoral visit to

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. He was parish vicar of Mabira for 1990-91. He taught at the Minor Seminary of Katoke from 1991 to 1994, with responsibility for the liturgy and serving also as chaplain of Biharamulo hospital. From 1994 to 1998 he pursued a doctorate in pastoral theology at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

. Returning to Tanzania, he was spiritual director of seminarians and director of vocations for the Diocese of Rulenge and executive director of the pastoral care department for 1998-99. From 2000 to 2002 he was

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the diocese of Rulenge and moderator of personnel. He worked in Rome on the staff of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2002 to 2008. On 18 January 2008,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

appointed Rugambwa bishop of the Diocese of Kigoma,

. He received his episcopal consecration on 13 April from Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam. On 26 June 2012, Pope Benedict appointed him adjunct secretary of the

and president of the

, replacing Archbishop Piergiuseppe Vacchelli, who had reached retirement age. He was given the personal title of archbishop at the same time. Pope Francis confirmed him as adjunct secretary on 21 September 2013. On 9 November 2017,

promoted him to secretary of the Congregation. On 13 April 2023, Pope Francis named him archbishop coadjutor of Tabora. On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced the plans to make him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September. At that consistory he was made cardinal priest of Santa Maria in Montesanto. On 10 November 2023, he became archbishop of Tabora upon the resignation of Paul R. Ruzoka. He participated as a cardinal elector in the

2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...

that elected

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

Publication

Protase Rugambwa: ''Ministry and collaboration in small Christian communities: ″Communities in Rulenge Diocese-Tanzania, a case study"'', dissertation, Pontificia Università Lateranense, Rome, 1998.

References

External links

Rugambwa Card. Protase

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Archived
from the original on 2 October 2023

in Catholic-hierarchy.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Rugambwa, Protase Living people 1960 births Pontifical Lateran University alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Tanzania Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Roman Catholic bishops of Kigoma Officials of the Roman Curia Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI Cardinals created by Pope Francis 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Tanzania Tanzanian cardinals 21st-century cardinals Roman Catholic archbishops of Tabora

Biography

Publication

See also

References

External links