Academic clergy welcome Cardinal Rugambwa

... the rule of law, justice and dignity as well as proper utilization of natural resources for sustainable development.

Speaking with The Guardian after His Eminence’s arrival in Dar es Salaam early this month, Professor Victor Chisanga, Archbishop for World United Alliance Church, asked him to support the nation’s bid to have an excellent new constitution.

“The American constitutionin the 1780s protected and upheld slavery but the northern states wanted the Atlantic Slave Trade be abolished, while the southern states refused and then the country broke into civil war.”

He asserts that the bad constitution caused war in the US, and demands him to speak out clearly about the need for a ‘new covenant,’the new contract and agreement for our people which is the new constitution.

The archbishop recalled that the northern states started the movement that slavery should be abolished, but the southern refused, wishing the constitution to maintain its legality.

He adds that alongside evangelization, Cardinal Rugambwa should speak out that Tanzania needs an awesome constitution because it will free every citizen…defending the old ‘katiba’ will be like maintain and ‘legalize slavery’.’”

“We want him to speak for our people that those who cling to the old constitution should be told the truth that having an acceptable ‘covenant’ is what brings success hence development, unlike wise it is hard to  achieve progress we all desire  without ‘new covenant’.

Professor Chisanga, a seasoned academic in architecture who has taught for 35 years at Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam in engineering architecture, presupposes that the new constitution will prevent looting of natural resources, stealing votes during elections and much more.People will never stay silent if one conducts evil. “That is the freedom we want, not slavery.”

The don wants the Cardinal to change the course, as it is time to talk about ‘justice’ and not ‘peace’ as officials have been doing for decades,  because God wants justice, and that is His order and is the basis of the success of everything; doing things fairly and giving people their rights.

“Look, corruption is the worst enemy of justice, but it is not the enemy of our peace, mark you whenever there is justice, peace and human rights will automatically prevail, Tanzania needs a constitution that stipulates that graft is always the biggest enemy of justice. He has to speak openly and let it be known to all sects, churches, the private sector and the government as well.”

The former part timer lecturer at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), lecturing on environment related architecture and at the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) where he was teaching architectural studies, reminds Cardinal Rugambwa to put his finger on the justice subject matter.

He says: “This time around as the government is stepping up efforts to improve the administration of criminal justice it should be known that Tanzania is craving for clean institutions that administer justice. We are looking at the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority, the Police, the Prisons, parliamentarians and the courts. We have to ensure that justice prevails in these offices and make sure that they do the right things.”

“For these institutions to administer justice we need a new constitution that will define the appointment mode of leaders in these prominent public offices where justice is administered, and should not leave it upon the powers of the executive. If the work is done by the president alone, if she, or he, does not care about justice, the appointed officials will be part of State House bids to manhandle and disrupt justice, as they continue to repeat that the country is peaceful and tranquil,” he remarks.

Bishop William Mwamalanga, the chairman of the National Committee of Bishops and Sheiks on Ethics, Peace and Human Rights, lauds his appointment, commending him as a man who has achieved excellence in his calling.

“I believe His Eminence, Cardinal Rugambwa, will be a great pillar to unite religious leaders as well as the congregation and contribute to harmony and unity...”

He wants him to advise and collaborate with the government as with religious and other leaders to find solutions to people's problems. The church cannot achieve the mission of evangelization of the spirit alone without the body which means to take care of the entire community development in which no one is left behind.

He says that since his role, inter alia, is to aid the Pope, he has to touch issues that affect people in Tanzania and Africa to help to find ways to get them out of poverty, because many are living in a dehumanizing state of destitution.

Furthermore, he said that the dehumanizing state particularly in Africa South of the Sahara has caused increased economic inequalities, war crimes, violation of human rights and much more.In the North and West Africa the world has witnessed the deaths of thousands of African migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while crossing to Europe.

Bishop Mwamalanga expressed concern about youth unemployment, hunger and starvation that the churches should not look aside. He said there is a shortage of food in the world but Africa has a more acute problem, charging the new church leader to use diplomacy, connections, exposure and the mission of the church to advise and find solutions to ensure food sufficiency.

"Tanzania has fertile land, water, human capital, peace and tranquility but the nation has not been able to use such enormous resources to become food sufficient. In addition, there is no clean, safe and tapped water for many in cities and villages."

He reminds him about climate change, underlining that Cardinal Rugambwa is a great Catholic diplomat.He has lived in Europe, and he knows the effects of global warming together with the mitigation techniques. “We ask him to contribute in finding ways to overcome this problem so that we can have a better Tanzania."

He has to actively participate in mobilizing religious leaders and the church to plant trees and put into action the pontifical encyclical ‘LaudateCi’  which enjoins us to care for our earth, by ensuring that we plant trees across the country. We need to alleviate poverty and hunger because if people continue to degrade the environment they dig down deeper into destitution.

Vice President Dr. Phillip Mpango welcomed Cardinal Rugambwa, at his first home coming after his reception as cardinal last month by Pope Francis, as he became the third Tanzanian cardinal after Polycarp Pengo and the late Laurian Rugambwa.

The question whether Protase Cardinal Rugambwa is related to the late Laurean Rugambwahas often been posed, and to make it clear, Father Florence Rutaihwa, Director of the Pastoral Directorate of the Episcopal Conference of Tanzania (TEC), asserts that the two are not related.

They have no blood relationship at all  rather that Protase Cardinal was baptized in honoring Cardinal Laurean Rugambwa, as the new cardinal was born on the day his predecessor namesake returned home from Rome on May 31, 1960 after being elevated to cardinal, so the new son was named Protase but with no relations to  Laurean.

The Press Vatican web based Reports, stipulating the composition of cardinals by regions shows that Africa has 29 cardinals who hail from Angola, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, DRC and Tanzania, among many others.  Nearby countries, Kenya and Uganda both have cardinal prelates.