Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kahama (Agenzia Fides) - In these days the bishops of Tanzania are scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss, among other things, alarming issues such as the desecration of several buildings of the Catholic Church in the country. To name a few, we recall the cathedral of the Virgin Mary, Queen of peace in the diocese of Geita desecrated on February 26, 2023 (see Fides, 2/3/2023). On May 3, St Patrick's parish in Zanzibar was also damaged by unknown persons and investigations are continuing. In the meantime, the acts of vandalism against church structures continue. In addition to these incidents, the desecration of St. Carol Lwanga Cathedral, diocese of Kahama, by a deranged man has been reported in recent days. Cathedral priest Father Innocent Villilo explained that the young man has mental problems and is said to have escaped from Kahama District Hospital, which is not far from the cathedral. According to Father Abraham Maziku, secretary of Christopher Ndizeye Nkoronko, bishop of Kahama, the man entered the main door of the church and started breaking everything. Security guards managed to catch him before he could do any more damage.
"It is not clear what really prompted the man to act like this and the police continue to investigate. We thank God for preventing the situation from escalating further and we continue to pray that God will protect us and strengthen the security measures in our parishes", said Father Maziku. The bishop of Kahama arrived at the scene of the incident and ordered security to be tightened throughout the night and afterwards. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 15/5/2023)
