The Tanzanian Catholic Bishop says he finds it regrettable that the Body of Christ was broken during the February 26 night desecration, and that the desecrators “defiled this church in its sanctity established at the time of its blessing.”
The damage to the Cathedral is huge, he laments, and adds that the actions by the desecrators have “greatly hurt” Catholic believers in his Episcopal See and beyond.
“As a result of these events, this church has largely lost its blessing and the community of believers has been greatly hurt due to the slander, blasphemy, and defilement done to our Faith,” the 55-year-old Bishop who has been at the helm of Geita Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in June 2016 says.
Canon Law 1211 states, “Sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful, actions which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so grave and contrary to the holiness of the place that it is not permitted to carry on worship in them until the damage is repaired by a penitential rite according to the norm of the liturgical books.”
In his February 26 statement following the desecration, Bishop Matindi suspends liturgical celebrations in the Cathedral of Mary Queen of Peace, saying the church is “not suitable for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, nor for any Sacrament, nor for any worship.”
“Following this situation, the Geita Catholic Cathedral will remain closed for all religious services from February 27 to March 18 to wait for its purification,” he says, and directs the people of God under his pastoral care to “observe penitential reparation during the closure period”.
He calls upon members of the Clergy to prepare the faithful through repentance sermons, and teachings on the holiness of the Church and to always insist on the same in their various celebrations.
“All Catholic believers are invited throughout the period leading up to the Penance to pray, fast, repent, receive the Sacrament of reconciliation, and ask for God's mercy. In all these actions, let us ask God to grant us inner conversion,” Bishop Matindi says.
March 18, the day for the purification rite of the Cathedral, is to be a Diocesan event, the Catholic Bishop says, and urges active participation of the people of God under his pastoral care.
Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.
