ANGLICAN-Tanzania, BRICKBATS IN THE CHURCH, AND WORSE

By Elias Mhegera, Dar es Salaam

April 2010

AT long last the current Anglican Provincial Registrar, Prof Palamagamba Kabudi, has admitted that the failure of negotiated solutions to disputes in his church is a disgrace. Prof Kabudi was responding to The Express, on how he is seeing continued intra-conflict in his church, following reports that the Anglican top leader in the country, Archbishop Dr Valentino Mokiwa, had faced an unwelcome response in Sumbawanga recently. “…Yes I am aware of the Sumbawanga fracas but right now I am outside the country on official business, I have directed my family to get copies of the newspapers which have reported the matter”, responded Kabudi.

It was reported in the media that Rev Mokiwa was forced to cut short a religious ceremony that was meant to install the newly elected Bishop Canon Kasagala, of the new Lake Rukwa dioceses, because of claims that he had bribed voters.

“I admit that I am irritated by what has happened, but I take it as a challenge and part of the democratization process in our church”, commented Kabudi. He explained at length how he and his colleagues have been trying to resolve church matters under the table, but these efforts have not yet yielded positive results.

Prof Kabudi, a distinguished lecturer in law at the University of Dar es Salaam, and himself a former journalist, said that the intra-conflicts in the church are tarnishing the image of this religious institution in the public eye. He however noted that the debacle reflects that democracy in the making has its associated costs. “We are trying to open a democratic space in the church leadership, and what ensues now is just part of that democratic movement”, he said.

Kabudi admitted that intra-conflicts within the Anglican Church in Tanzania are a challenge that needs a lot of prayer, from whoever wishes the best for his church, where conflicts are now becoming a common phenomenon. 

He disclosed that through his investigation he has realized that conflicts always escalate immediately after elections, a sign of dissatisfaction from those who have lost in the election process.

“I wonder why those who lose should indulge themselves in sabotaging the harmony of the church, are these people really responding to the call of God, or they are fighting for personal gain?” he asked, in astonishment. 

He went further in admitting that if it was not for his background, where his father was one of the tough leaders in the church, he would have had second thoughts about serving the church, which has been ravaged by intra-conflicts.

Prof Kabudi attributed these problems to moral instability, in the sense that there are indications of moray decay amongst church leaders, and even within the leadership itself.

Revisiting church history on the choice of bishops, he said that previously the names were handpicked by the bosses at the church headquarters, but later the system was changed. The  new system has allowed people to contest just as the politicians are doing in the constituencies. This to a certain extent has caused some unscrupulous contestants to bribe their voters.

Earlier this year, The Express  carried a series of articles which brought into the limelight the misdeeds of Bishop Maternus Kapinga of Ruvuma diocese, but the church headquarters in Dar es Salaam decided to turn a deaf ear to the reports.

In one occasion during the reportage, The Express had sought comments from Prof Kabudi without success. So while the fierce debacle is turning against Archbishop Mokiwa, the situation in Mbinga is not calm either. It is alleged that there have been a series of problems leading to sackings at Liuli Hospital without following proper channels.

The end results are poor services at the hospital, while benefactors are not satisfied with how their donations have been utilized. On 26 March there was a serious fracas, where due to a dispute stones and bricks were hurled by irate Christians, the police force had to restore calm.

On 24 April there was a fracas in Mbinga again, in the  Liuli main church, on 25  April Bishop Kapinga locked out some followers during the mass procession, claiming that he wanted to verify those who had stoned the church a few days earlier.

This was followed by a dismissing of 21 workers at the Liuli hospital, by the bishop. While this was going on  construction materials were lying idle at the hospital, the government also had paid some money for the rehabilitation.

Over the past ten years, the Anglican Church in Tanzania has been rather restless, due to such unbecoming incidents. This legacy of intra-conflict has led to mistrust and even to excommunicating some parishioners.

Similar sad events have also happened in Korogwe, and the Diocese of Mpwapwa in Dodoma.

On March 15, 2007 the Bishop of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza, Bishop John Changae, announced his resignation.

This wasafter he was seriously harassed by his congregation in Mwanza. The police force had to intervene inside the church premises in order to rescue him, before he resigned under pressure.