Pope Leo remembers late Cardinal Polycarp Pengo as a “wise and gentle pastor”

Vatican News

In a telegram released on Saturday, February 21, Pope Leo XIV expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, upon learning of the passing of its Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Polycarp Pengo.

“With gratitude for his devoted episcopal ministry over many years to several local churches, especially his dedication to the formation of the clergy, as well as his service to the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, and not least to the Holy See, I join you in commending the soul of this wise and gentle pastor to the mercy of Christ, the good shepherd,” the Pope wrote in the telegram, addressed to the current Archbishop of Dar es Salaam Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi.

Pope Leo also imparted his Apostolic Blessing “as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord” to all those “who mourn his passing in the sure hope of the resurrection.”

Cardinal Pengo died on Thursday, February 19 at the age of 81, while receiving treatment at a specialised cardiovascular hospital in Dar es Salaam. Born on August 5, 1944, he was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1998, making him the second Tanzanian to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. He served as Archbishop of Dar es Salaam from 1992 until his retirement in 2019.