In the September 17 interview with ACI Africa, the Secretary General of TEC lauded the efforts of the organizers of the 2024 Eucharistic Congress that had started off with a call on participants to realize their call to be witnesses of the person of Jesus Christ, relying on the grace of God through the Holy Spirit.
A lot of preparations went into preparing for the Eucharistic Congress, he said, and added, “We also encouraged each Diocese to take part in the celebrations by organizing seminars, retreats and reflections that were centered on the Eucharist.”
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Fr. Kitima said that the four days of reflection prepared people for the Sacrament of Reconciliation before they proceeded to adore the Blessed Sacrament.
Tanzania has 40 Catholic Bishops including those in active service and Auxiliaries. More than 25 Bishops were at the Sunday Mass, which has well over 500 Priests in attendance and “a sea of Religious Sisters and Brother,” Fr. Kitima told ACI Africa.
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Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
The East African country also has over 100 female Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) and all of them were massively represented at the Eucharistic Congress.
Children participating in the Sunday Liturgical celebration were clad in their characteristic yellow and white attire, adding more color to the event.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
“Tanzania pays close attention to Holy childhood and we had hundreds of children from across the country who were given special formation on the sidelines of the Eucharistic Congress,” Fr. Kitima said.
Catholic Bishops at the four-day Eucharistic Congress gave messages on the status of the Catholic Church in Tanzania and how to further evangelize the East African country.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Public figures also participated in the spiritual event, including government officials who spoke Tanzania’s political status.
Fr. Kitima told ACI Africa that it was necessary that Tanzania’s government officials condemn the recent unfortunate trend of the kidnappings and killings of politicians in the country.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
One of the latest incidents is the killing of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a senior member of the main opposition Chadema party, who was found dead after two armed men forced him off a bus heading from Dar es Salaam to Tanzania’s city of Tanga.
“The Eucharistic Congress was an occasion to bring politicians together for purposes of reconciliation. Catholic politicians, specifically, were challenged to spread the message of the Gospel in their daily political activities,” the Tanzanian Catholic Priest said, adding that one of the Eucharistic miracles that were witnessed at the Congress was the fraternal love that was demonstrated by opposing politicians who participated in the event.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Regarding the recent abductions and killings in Tanzania, Bishop Eusebius Alfred Nzigilwa of Tanzania’s Mpanda Catholic Diocese and TEC’s Vice President said, “Tanzania has always been known as an Island of peace.”
He said that owing to the kidnappings and killings of some politicians, the Church in Tanzania “strongly condemned the incidents of abductions and killings that are going on in the country and want the relevant state institutions to live up to their responsibilities and restore the honor of Tanzania as an Island of peace.”
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
On the Sidelines of the Eucharist Congress, the Church in Tanzania also celebrated the over 70,000 Small Christian Communities (SCCs) that are evangelizing at the grassroots in the country.
Fr. Kitima told ACI Africa that SCCs are the way in which the Catholic Church in Tanzania reaches the people in far-flung areas owing to the country’s shortage of Priests.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
“We don’t have enough Priests to take care of our large population of the faithful. The Church in Tanzania relies on SCCs to reach our families and to bring Christ to the people where there is so much need,” he said.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Conveying Pope Francis’ greetings to the Catholic faithful of Tanzania, the Apostolic Nuncio in the East African country, Archbishop Angelo Accattino, underlined the need for more vocations in the country.
“To celebrate the Eucharist, Priests are needed. The Church all over the world has a shortage of Priests,” Archbishop Accattino said, and added, “Let’s continue praying for marriages and families from which we get the Priestly vocations.”
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
Credit: Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC)
