ROME,
February 07, 2014 (CISA) - Bishop Bernadin Francis
Mfumbusa,[ aged 41], heads the almost three-year-old Diocese of Kondoa, in the
heart of Tanzania, one of 34 dioceses that serve a global Tanzanian Catholic
population of some 9 million, 20% of the population. Another 10% are
Protestants of various denominations. Animists account for 35% of the
population and Muslims another 35%, the majority of them Sunnis. The various
faiths have lived peacefully side by side for many generations, but in recent
years some worrisome signs are pointing at the emergence of extremist Islam.
[The diocese of Kondoa
erected in 2011 from the Diocese of Dodoma, had , in 2012, a total population
of 450,400, of which 51,000 are Catholics (11.3%).]
Bishop Mfumbusa spoke
to international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need on Monday [February
04] about the future of Tanzania as reported by Zenit.
Q: You recently
returned from celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the faith
on Zanzibar, where Muslims make up nearly the entire population. But the joy of
the occasion was tempered by a growing radicalization of Islam on the island,
and four attacks on the Church and its people in the last two years—most
recently the brutal attack on a local priest with acid, which left the man
severely burned. What can you tell us of the threat of extremist Islam in
Zanzibar?
Bishop Mfumbusa: The
threat of extremist Islam in Zanzibar should be understood in a specific
context. One, the problem of Christian-Muslim tension in Zanzibar is not new.
Some Muslims claim ownership of the archipelago saying Islam is the religion of
Zanzibar. Two, radicalization of a certain segment of the population in
Zanzibar is part of a worldwide trend. It should not be seen in isolation.
Three, there is a political dimension to religious tensions, as some people and
groups portray themselves as defenders of Zanzibari values, namely, Islamic
values and principles. Still, the vast majority of people in Zanzibar would
prefer to live in peace as extremism poses a danger to the entire society—not
only to Christians.
Q: Do you have concerns
for such Jihadists elements causing trouble on the mainland?
Bishop Mfumbusa: The
possibility of trouble in Mainland Tanzania is as real as it is in London or
New York or elsewhere. Last year a Catholic church was bombed in Arusha, and
the culprits are still at large. We read in the news recently that some Al
Shabaab (Somalia-based militants) elements were spotted in Tanga, one of the
major coastal towns. The greatest danger at the moment is the infiltration of
foreign Jihadis and the return of Tanzanian radicals who have received training
outside the country.
Q: Do you perceive a
larger threat then to Tanzania, just as extremist Muslims have worked their way
into Mali, Nigeria, the Central African Republic and elsewhere? What forces are
behind this import of radical Islam?
Bishop Mfumbusa:
Tanzania has a large Muslim population estimated at 35%. A group known as
Uamsho in Kiswahili (or “awakening”) is inciting violence, especially in
Zanzibar. Pamphlets with specific messages against Christians and Christian
institutions have been recovered. On the Mainland at least one radio station
was banned because of inciting sectarian violence. Funding for these activities
appears to come from abroad as the streets are awash with audio and
videocassettes encouraging Muslims to harm kafirs (non-Muslims).
Q: What is happening to
the peaceful Islam that has been characteristic of Africa for so long? Do you
dialogue with moderate Muslim leaders? Are moderate Islamic leaders outspoken
enough in denouncing anti-Christian violence?
Bishop Mfumbusa: A
prominent Ugandan scholar, Mahmoud Mamdani, wrote a book titled, “Good Muslim,
Bad Muslim,” in which, among other things, he warned of the danger of
oversimplifying issues. There is an extremist fringe, it is true, but the vast
majority of Muslims are peaceful. In Kondoa where I live more than 90% of
people are Muslims. About 80% of my own family are Muslims, and so far we are
living together fine. The major problem is external influence, which brings
with it new interpretations and even usages of Islam.
Tensions are evident,
and signs of radicalization are increasing, but the Christian leadership stays
in touch with Muslim leaders. Whether the so-called moderate Muslim leaders
denounce anti-Christian violence is an open to debate question. Muslim leaders
who appear to side with Christian themselves fall victims to extremist violence,
as was the case last year in Zanzibar. Naturally, there is a fear to speak out
among moderate Muslims. Unfortunately, this only emboldens the extremists.
Q: How do you explain
the hatred of some Muslims for Christians and their faith?
Bishop Mfumbusa: Some
Muslim scholars suggest that Islam is the original religion of Africa. This is
far from true. Islam came to North Africa in the 7th century through conquest;
and made its way to East Africa with Arab traders. Hatred of Christians by
Muslims can be traced to a totalitarian tendency to expunge all non-Muslims.
That is what happened in North Africa in the early days of Islam.
Some Muslim leaders
claim that Muslims are marginalized by Christians. That is how they justify
interventions, like the recent one in the Central African Republic by Seleka
Muslim rebels who made their forays under the pretext of protecting Muslims.
Christians are scapegoats for all that is wrong among the Muslim populace—and
the demagogues use such arguments to work up people into hatred.
Q: What are your
arguments in helping Christians themselves from turning to violence out of
revenge?
Bishop Mfumbusa:
Whenever I get an opportunity I remind people of [the late Russian writer]
Tolstoy, who held that there is an often forgotten verse in the Bible, namely,
Matthew 5:39, where Jesus is telling his disciples: “don’t resist evil.” Our
best hope is forgiveness. We cannot solve evil by doing evil. As best as we
can, we must learn to “not resist evil.” But as the situation in the Central African
Republic has made clear, it can be hard to control people after a certain
point.
Q: How can the Church
help build bridges between Christians and Muslims?
Bishop Mfumbusa:
Inter-religious dialogue in Tanzania is going on at different levels. At the
national level there is a multi-faith committee, which brings together leaders
from all religions. Even here in my diocese of Kondoa there is a committee
trying to address inter-religious problems. Also the church welcomes all people
to make use of its institutions such as schools, universities, hospitals, etc.
Q: Have you personally
been confronted with evil?
Bishop Mfumbusa: Evil
is part of human life, and no one can escape it. It is easier to hear of
horrors of war, hatred, hunger and so forth when such things are happening in
far off countries. Personally I have experienced tragedy when Father Ambrose
Mkenda was shot and gravely wounded on Christmas Eve 2012. His crime,
apparently, was to be a Catholic priest on Zanzibar. I know him well, as we
were in the seminary together in the late 1980s. Indeed, as some say, man is
wolf to man.
Q: How do you cope with
the loneliness of the life of a pastor—particularly that of a bishop?
Bishop Mfumbusa: I
remember, when I was elected bishop of Kondoa, a fellow bishop told me that
loneliness would be now part of my life. To some extent this is true. I have to
make difficult decisions alone. Often I live alone as we have only a handful of
priests. Luckily, in Africa, most people are part of a large extended family, so
people do drop in to greet me all the time. Generally, there are no official
appointments and there is a steady flow of visitors— so there is no time to be
lonely, really! There is also the consolation of prayer, knowing that the Lord
is always near, even when we feel lonely for some reason.
Q: Does the Church in
Tanzania see a growth in vocations?
Bishop Mfumbusa: At the
moment, we have more than 500 seminarians doing philosophy and theology in five
seminaries run by the Tanzanian bishops’ conference. There has been an increase
in the number of seminarians. Generally, the number of seminarians tends to ebb
and flow over the years. We need to commission a study to find out why more
young men have been drawn to the priesthood lately.
Q: What do you think
are the particular gifts of African Catholicism—and can they benefit the Church
in the West?
Bishop Mfumbusa: I
think one of the greatest gifts of Tanzanian Catholicism is unity. Despite
ethnic, regional and other differences, the faithful, for example, accept
pastors and bishop from other parts of the country or from other ethnic groups
without a problem. Another gift which can be emulated elsewhere are our “Small
Christian Communities,” which have become a strong embodiment and expression of
the local Church in our country.
Q: What is the biggest
challenge for you personally in 2014?
Bishop Mfumbusa: The
biggest challenge is the limited number of priests. Here in my diocese, there
are only 13 priests working in 11 parishes. And there is a potential—a need—to
open six new parishes immediately. We simply don’t have the personnel. For
example, my secretary doubles as the parish priest of the cathedral parish. It
can be overwhelming.
Q: And what are the
main challenges for the new year for the Church in Tanzania—family life,
catechism, formation of priests and religious?
Bishop Mfumbusa: The
greatest challenges lie in the area of priestly formation and religious
education. Developments in the secular education sector are outpacing our
capacity to provide religious formation for students. For example, there are
now secondary schools in many villages, yet we don’t have enough catechists to
teach at this level. We need to improve the capacity of our catechists and lay
ministers. In the area of priestly formation the main problem is lack of books,
as well as a limited information and communication infrastructure in our
seminaries.
Q: Pope Francis
stresses the need for the Church—indeed, the world at large—to care for the
poor. In what ways is the Diocese of Kondoa serving the poor, the sick and the
marginalized?
Bishop Mfumbusa: We
have an orphanage with more 70 children, most of whom were abandoned. We care
for them irrespective of their religion or ethnicity. The local Church also
operates a health center and a few dispensaries in some of the remotest areas
in the district. We would wish to do more but limited human resources hamper
our efforts.
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Aid to the Church in
Need is an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See,
providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140
countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org
(AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)
