Protase Rugambwa (born 31 May 1960) is a Tanzanian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who has been the secretary of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

since his appointment 9 November 2017. He previously served as that congregation's adjunct secretary and president of the

Pontifical Mission Societies The Pontifical Mission Societies, known in some countries as Missio, is the name of a group of Catholic missionary societies that are under the jurisdiction of the Pope. These organizations include the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, th ...

since his appointment on 26 June 2012.

Biography

Rugambwa was born in 1960 at Bunena, in the diocese of Bukoba. He had an elder brother, Paulo Kishumba (1957-2021). After his primary and secondary schools in various seminaries and Minor Katoke Itaga, Rugambwa studied philosophy at Kibosho Senior Seminary and theology at St. Charles Lwanga Segerea Senior Seminary. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

priest on 2 September 1990 in

Dar-es-Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

during his pastoral visit to

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, and incardiated the

diocese of Rulenge In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. After ordination he had the following activities: *1990-1991: Parish Vicar in the parish of Mabira * 1991-1994: Teacher in the Minor Seminary of Katoke, in charge of the Liturgy and Diocesan Chaplain of the hospital Biharamulo * 1994-1998: Studies for a doctorate in pastoral theology at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pont ...

in Rome (promotion) * 1998-1999: Trainer of the spiritual year's seminarians, Director of Vocations in the Diocese of Rulenge, Executive Secretary of the Department of Pastoral Care * 2000-2002:

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the diocese of Rulenge and Moderator of Personnel * 2002-2008: Official of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. On 18 January 2008, Pope

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

appointed Rugambwa Bishop of the Diocese of Kigoma,

. He received his episcopal consecration on 13 April. On 26 June 2012, Benedict appointed him adjunct secretary of the

and concurrently president of the

, replacing Archbishop

Piergiuseppe Vacchelli Piergiuseppe Vacchelli (born 4 February 1937) is the current Adjunct Secretary Emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and President of the Pontifical Missionary Societies since his retirement was accepted by Pope Benedict XV ...

, who had reached the retirement age. He was at the same time appointed Archbishop

ad personam ''Ad hominem'' (), short for ''argumentum ad hominem'' (), refers to several types of arguments, most of which are fallacious. Typically, this term refers to a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other ...

. Includes a biographical sketch. On 9 November 2017

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

promoted him to secretary of the Congregation.

Publication

Protase Rugambwa: Ministry and collaboration in small Christian communities: ″Communities in Rulenge Diocese-Tanzania, a case study″. Theological dissertation, Pontificia Università Lateranense, Rome, 1998.

References

External links

′Archbishop Protase Rugambwa′
in Catholic-hierarchy.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Rugambwa, Protase Living people 1960 births Pontifical Lateran University alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Tanzania Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Roman Catholic bishops of Kigoma