Dar es Salaam, 23 April, 2025 / 3:23 pm (ACI Africa).
Protase Cardinal Rugambwa of Tanzania’s Catholic Archdiocese of Tabora has appealed for spiritual solidarity with the College of Cardinals entrusted with leading the Church during the Papal Interregnum, the period between the passing or resignation of a pope and the election of his successor.
In his homily during a Memorial Mass in honor of the late Pope Francis, who passed on on April 21 at the age of 88, Cardinal Rugambwa underscored the significance of spiritual solidarity during the transitional period.
“As is the norm, we are invited by the Mother Church, especially at a time like this when the Church is without its leader, to pray first and foremost for this leader,” he said in his homily during the memorial Mass at St. Therese of the Child Jesus Cathedral of his Metropolitan See on Tuesday, April 22.
He continued, “I would like us to continue doing this within our small Christian communities: to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, that Almighty God may receive him into eternal life. But along with that, we pray for our Church, that it may remain in peace and continue to fulfill what we are called to do.”
“In a special way, let us pray for all the Cardinals, those who have no impediments and are expected to be in Rome according to the set procedures to prepare for the various meetings: first, for the funeral arrangements of Pope Francis, and afterward, for the preparations for electing a new Pope,” he said.
