Bishop Timanywa of Bukoba in Tanzania calls upon the Faithful to be the Voice of the Church in their Communities

The Bishop of Bukoba in Tanzania, the Rt. Rev. Nestorius Timanywa, on Sunday led hundreds of the faithful in the celebrations marking the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the catholic parish of Bunena by the Missionaries of Africa, who were then known as the White Fathers. The parish was opened in1912. Addressing the faithful, Bishop Timanywa reminded them that the centenary should make them more united with God. He encouraged them to work hard to improve on their living conditions and to become the voice of the church in fighting evils such as abortion and excessive drinking. He announced also that the remains of Cardinal Laurian Rugambwa would be reburied on October 6^th at the Catholic Cathedral of Bukoba. Cardinal Rugambwa died in 1997 in Dar Es Salaam at the age of 85. His body was temporarily laid to rest in a church at Kashozi parish, near Bukoba town, awaiting the rehabilitation of Bukoba cathedral. He was born in 1912 and ordained a priest in 1943. After working as a missionary in western Africa for five years, he went to Rome in 1948 for higher studies at the Pontifical Urban University where he graduated with a PhD degree in Canon law. In 1952 he was appointed Bishop of Rutabo in Tanzania. He was named cardinal in 1960, becoming the first African Cardinal. He participated in the second Vatican Council.