Tanzanian cardinal laments number of dioceses without bishops

July 01, 2013

Cardinal Polycarp Pengo of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania’s capital, lamented the number of vacant sees in the East African nation and called upon children to pray for the rapid appointment of bishops.

Five of the nation’s 33 sees are currently vacant.

“My humble request to you, my little children, is to use the power of your prayers because God listen more to the prayers of little children like you,” he said at a conference for the children of eight dioceses.

“We adults have committed so many sins; that even though we may appear righteous before everybody else, if our sins are to be revealed before everyone here, some of us would lack places to hide our faces,” he added. “But you, little children, are pure in heart and mind, you haven’t committed sins like majority of us here, and because of that your prayers are pure before Almighty God.”

The cardinal has served as Dar-es-Salaam’s archbishop since 1992 and participated in the conclaves that elected Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

 

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Further information:

• Cardinal Pengo Expresses Concern over the Vacant Dioceses (CISA News Africa)