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Strengthen Family Apostolate to Curb Moral Decline, Catholic Bishop in Tanzania Urges

Biahop Jovitus Mwijage of the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba. Credit: Radio Mbiu
Nicholas Waigwa

By Nicholas Waigwa

Dar es Salaam, 14 October, 2025 / 3:35 pm (ACI Africa).

The Bishop of Tanzania’s Catholic Diocese of Bukoba has emphasized the need to revitalize the family apostolate, expressing concern that the weakening of family structures is fueling moral decay and social challenges in contemporary society.

In his homily during Mass on October 12, Bishop Jovitus Francis Mwijage encouraged the people of God in his Episcopal See to continue discussing practical ways of strengthening family life in their respective Small Christian Communities (SCCs).

“I urge you that when you meet in Small Christian Communities, continue reflecting on how we can strengthen the family apostolate,” Bishop Mwijage said during the Eucharistic celebration at St. John the Baptist–Katoma Parish.

The Tanzanian-born Catholic Church leader, who has been at the helm of Bukoba Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in January 2024, warned that neglecting the family would have long-term consequences for both the Church and society.

 “If we don’t have good families now, we won’t have good families in the future; we won’t have Priests; we won’t have religious men and women,” he cautioned.

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Drawing from his pastoral experience abroad, Bishop Mwijage added, “I have witnessed this in Europe, where I served in ministry. You see, they destroyed the family, and as a result, many other problems have emerged.” He stressed that societies that abandon family values inevitably face serious moral consequences.

Bishop Mwijage, who was on a pastoral visit to St. John the Baptist Parish in his Episcopal See, attributed the destruction of the family institution to some of the social challenges the world experiences today, saying, “That’s why you now see issues like homosexuality arising.”

“A child raised only by the father grows up with certain deficiencies; the same happens with a child raised only by the mother. You find that even those raised by single mothers have their challenges,” observed the 58-year-old Catholic Church leader.

He went on to invite the people of God in his Diocese to “embrace the apostolate of the family” and safeguard the family values that helped to keep the family and the institution of marriage stable.

"I urge those of you who have the opportunity to promote the family apostolate to take it seriously. Families today are hardly recognizable. Only a few people live as husband and wife,” he said.

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He added, “Nowadays the family is a very different story. We now have families where there’s only one parent, father or mother, and the other parent is unknown.”

“Matters of courtship seem to have become a thing of the past. Yet those traditional practices helped us, and that’s why we are facing such serious problems today,” said Bishop Mwijage, noting that many young people today no longer value the proper process of courtship and commitment before marriage.

He said, “Many young people start living together, but after a short while, things fall apart. Some have weddings that cost a lot of money, but after two days or three weeks, they separate. The weddings are expensive, but the marriages themselves often don’t last.”

Nicholas Waigwa

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.

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