Bishop Jovitus Mwijage of the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba told Mwananchi on September 21, 2025, that the body was expected to arrive in Tanzania tomorrow, Friday, September 25, 2025
Dar es Salaam. The body of Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, former Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand, was farewelled on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Vatican, following his death on September 16 in Rome, Italy.
A Vatican statement said a requiem Mass was held at St Peter’s Basilica, attended by many Tanzanians residing in Italy, before his remains were flown to Tanzania for final burial rites.
Bishop Jovitus Mwijage of the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba told Mwananchi on September 21, 2025, that the body was expected to arrive in Tanzania tomorrow, Friday, September 25, 2025.
The Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), in a statement on September 19, announced a requiem Mass in Dar es Salaam on September 27.
“The TEC Secretariat informs cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, religious men and women, and all the faithful that the requiem Mass for Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa will be held at St Joseph’s Cathedral, Dar es Salaam, on Saturday, September 27, at 9:00 a.m,” the statement said.
The statement, signed by Fr Clement Kihiyo on behalf of the TEC Secretary General, also announced that the burial Mass will be held at Bukoba Cathedral on Monday, September 29, at 9:30 a.m.
Archbishop Rugambwa was born on October 8, 1957, in the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba, Tanzania.
After completing seminary studies and priestly formation, he was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Nestorius Timanywa on July 6, 1986.
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on July 1, 1991. After serving in several Vatican embassies, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Under-Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People on 28 June 2007.
On February 6, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop and Apostolic Nuncio to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe.
He was consecrated Archbishop on March 18, 2010, by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, then Vatican Secretary of State.
On March 5, 2015, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Honduras. On March 29, 2019, Pope Francis named him Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand and Apostolic Delegate to the Pacific Islands.
On March 30, 2021, Pope Francis expanded his responsibilities, appointing him Apostolic Nuncio to the Federated States of Micronesia.
At the same time, Archbishop Rugambwa continued to serve as Nuncio to the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and as Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand, Fiji, and Palau, and Apostolic Delegate to the Pacific Ocean.
On June 10, 2025, despite ill health, Archbishop Rugambwa attended a meeting where Pope Leo XIV met Vatican ambassadors from around the world, arriving in a wheelchair.
Archbishop Rugambwa’s passing marks the loss of a distinguished Tanzanian prelate who served the Catholic Church and diplomacy with devotion for over three decades.
His legacy will be remembered both in Tanzania and across the global Church.
