The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kigoma ( la, Dioecesis Kigomaënsis) is a

diocese 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 associ ...

located in Kigoma in the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226,999 ...

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 ...

. Because of the appointment of Bishop

Protase Rugambwa Protase Rugambwa (born 31 May 1960) is a Tanzanian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples since his appointment 9 November 2017. He previously served as that congregation's ...

as an Archbishop ''ad personam'' (given the personal title of archbishop with the position of Deputy 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 administra ...

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 ...

) by

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 sovereig ...

on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, the Diocese became a vacant see (

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

History

* 27 September 1880: Established as the

Apostolic Vicariate of Tanganyika Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

from the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

* 10 May 1946: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Kigoma * 25 March 1953: Promoted as the Diocese of Kigoma

Leadership

* Vicars Apostolic of Tanganika (Latin rite) **

Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier, M.Afr. (20 May 1842 – 16 March 1888) was a Catholic White Fathers missionary who was Vicar Apostolic of Tanganyika from January 1887 to March 1888. Jean-Baptiste-Frézal Charbonnier was born on 20 May 1842 ...

, M. Afr. (1887.01.14 – 1888.03.16) **

Léonce Bridoux Léonce Bridoux, M. Afr. (15 January 1852 - 20 October 1890) was a Catholic missionary of the White Fathers who became the Vicar Apostolic of Tanganyika. Early years Léonce Bridoux was born on 15 January 1852 in Henin-Liétard, France. His fath ...

, M. Afr. (1888.06.15 – 1890.10.21) **

Adolphe Lechaptois Adolphe Lechaptois, M. Afr. (8 June 1852 – 30 November 1917) was a priest of the White Fathers missionary society who was Vicar Apostolic of Tanganyika from 1891 until his death in 1917, in what is now Tanzania. He took responsibility for the v ...

, M. Afr. (1891.06.19 – 1917.11.30) **

Joseph-Marie Birraux Joseph-Marie Birraux, M. Afr. (27 November 1883 - 30 April 1947) was a Catholic bishop who was Vicar Apostolic of Tanganyika and later became Superior General of the White Fathers, or Society of Missionaries of Africa. Early years Joseph-Marie B ...

, M. Afr. (1920.04.22 – 1936.04.22) ** John van Sambeek, M. Afr. (1936.11.19 – 1946.05.10 ''see below'') * Vicar Apostolic of Kigoma (Latin rite) ** John van Sambeek, M. Afr. (''see above'' 1946.05.10 – 1953.03.25 ''see below'') *

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

s of Kigoma (Latin rite) **

John van Sambeek Jan Cornelius van Sambeek, M.Afr. (or John van Sambeek) was a Dutch White Fathers missionary who was the Vicar Apostolic of Tanganyika (1936–1946), and then Bishop of Kigoma (1946–1957), in the former British-administered Tanganyika Territ ...

, M. Afr. (''see above'' 1953.03.25 – 1957.11.22) **

James Holmes-Siedle James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, M. Afr. (1958.08.05 – 1969.12.15) **

Alphonse Daniel Nsabi Alphonse may refer to: * Alphonse (given name) * Alphonse (surname) * Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group See also *Alphons Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given n ...

(1969.12.15 – 1989.08.16) ** Paul R. Ruzoka (1989.11.10 – 2006.11.25); named Archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tabora The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tabora ( la, Archidioecesis Taboraënsis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Tabora in Tanzania. In the year 2004 it had 257.390 faithful among 1.426.998 people (18.0%), with 64 priests ...

(2008.01.18 - 2012.06.26); named Archbishop (President of the

and Adjunct Secretary of the

) ** Joseph P. Mlola, ALCP/OSS, (2014.07.10 - present)

References

Sources

GCatholic.org

{{authority control Kigoma Kigoma Kigoma Kigoma, Roman Catholic Diocese of