Catholic bishop Evaristo Chengula dies aged 77
What you need to know:
The Roman Catholic Church suffers huge blow following the sudden death of its Mbeya bishop Evaristo Chengula.
· Aged 77, the bishop died in the morning on November 21, 2018, at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute
· He was admitted on Tuesday suffering from a heart ailment
Dar es Salaam. Mbeya Catholic Bishop Evaristo Chengula has died at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) in Dar es Salaam, the Roman Catholic Church has confirmed.
Speaking to The Citizen on Wednesday, November 21, 2018, the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (Tec) Secretary Dr Charles Kitima said bishop Chengula died on Wednesday at 9am at the JKCI where he had been admitted.
“It is true bishop Chengula who was admitted at the institute on Tuesday after arriving from Mbeya passed away today morning,” Dr. Kitima said in a telephone interview. The bishop of Consolata Missionaries was 77.
“He wasn’t seriously sick, but his health deteriorated on Monday after arriving from his usual field visits. Yesterday, (Tuesday), he decided to visit the hospital for further investigation but would later succumb,” said Dr. Kitima.
In March this year, bishop Chengula ignited public debate with a summon urging all Christians across the country to get prepared for the 2019 local government polls, advising them to elect candidates who will make them live peacefully without fear.
He issued the statement on March 30, 2018 on Good Friday at Church of Mary the Virgin of Fatima in Mwanjelwa, Mbeya.
He dismissed criticism of a pastoral letter earlier issued by the Church after it was viewed in some circles as targeting the country’s leadership.
He clarified that the message issued by the Catholic clergy did not target an individual but was aimed at those he called “hypocrites” whom he said professed Christianity but lacked in faith to change the lives of the people.
