ANOTHER RUGAMBWA NAMED CARDINAL

By Fr. Casmir Odundo

The surname "Rugambwa" is very famous within Catholic circles. This is because it belonged to the late Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa, the first African Cardinal. He was created a cardinal on March 28, 1960, by Pope John XXIII at the age of 47. Cardinal Rugambwa's contributions to the Vatican II Council from 1962-1965 are considered to be one of the most significant by an African prelate. He was praised for his fluency in multiple languages, including Italian, French, German, Swahili, Luanda, English, and Latin. Later, he became the Archbishop of Dar Salaam after moving from Bukoba. Cardinal Laurean Rugambwa died on December 8, 1997, on the Feast of Our Lady, whom he was deeply devoted to. 

Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa: First African Cardinal

According to Bishop Method Kilaini, the name "Rugambwa" signifies an individual with an esteemed reputation. They say that give a child a name, and he will live up to it.  In Tanzania, there are two other prelates with the surname Rugambwa. Although unrelated to Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa by blood, their parents chose the name because they were born in 1960 in the year Cardinal Rugambwa was elevated Cardinal and so they wanted their sons to emulate the great Cardinal Rugambwa of Africa. One of these prelates is Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, 63-year-old from Bukoba, who currently serves as the Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, and eight other states.

H. E Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa Apostolic Nuncio

Another is also the 63-year-old, Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, who currently serves as the coadjutor Archbishop of Tabora. He was born in 1960, and the story goes that his uncle, Andrew Tibadendage, went to welcome the newly appointed Cardinal Laurean Rugambwa, who was returning to Africa after becoming a Cardinal, the first one from Africa. Two days later, when the uncle returned home, he was greeted with the good news that his nephew had been born, and he suggested that he be named Rugambwa so that he could follow in the footsteps of Cardinal Laurean Rugambwa and perhaps be a cardinal one day too. And so, 63 years later,  it has come to pass. This nephew, Protase Rugambwa, was named as one of the 21 new Cardinals of the Catholic Church on Sunday, July 5, 2023.

Cardinal Designate Protase Rugambwa

Cardinal Designate Protase Rugambwa, was born on May 31, 1960, in Bunena, Tanzania, and was ordained a priest on September 2, 1990, in Dar Saleem by St. John Paul II, for the Diocese of Rulenge. In 1998, he obtained a doctorate in pastoral theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, with a dissertation on "Small Christian Communities" one of the unique evangelisation tools in Africa. He has worked for the Roman Curia in various capacities, starting as a priest in 2002 until 2008, when he served as an official of the former Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. On January 18, 2008, he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Kigoma, Tanzania, and on June 26, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI recalled him to the Vatican, appointing him adjunct secretary of the same Dicastery and president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, with the personal title of archbishop. On November 9, 2017, he was appointed secretary of the same Congregation, becoming the number two in the prestigious Congregation. With the Apostolic Constitution Predicate Evangelium coming into effect, Archbishop Rugambwa's term ended on March 15, 2023. Pope Francis then appointed him the Coadjutor Archbishop of Tabora on April 13, 2023, meaning that he has the right to succeed Archbishop Paul Ruzoka immediately upon his retirement. On July 5, 2023, he was named a Cardinal.

Tanzania now has two Cardinals, both of whom are under 80 years old. Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, Emeritus of Dar Salaam is 78. This means that if a conclave were to take place today, Tanzania would have two Cardinals representing it. The elevation of Protase Cardinal Rugambwa is seen as an acknowledgment of his efforts for the universal Church and a recognition for Tanzania, which, in a report,  along with Nigeria and Congo, was identified as the three countries in Africa experiencing a rapid surge in the number of Catholics.

Could Cardinal Protase Rugambwa become Pope? Given his Vatican connections, his popularity among bishops worldwide, his experience in pastoral work as well as Vatican bureaucracies, and his fluency in Italian, he is definitely papabile, a viable candidate. If an African Cardinal were ever considered for the papacy, Cardinal Designate Protase Rugambwa would be at the top of the list as things stand right now.

He will be created a Cardinal in the consistory on September 30, 2023. Undoubtedly, his elevation as Cardinal evokes the memory of his namesake, Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa, the first African Cardinal.

The author is a student at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. Email casmirthomas28@gmail.com