Erection of Bagamoyo Diocese in Jubilee Year Part of Pope Francis’ “special regard” for Tanzania: Apostolic Nuncio

“This is the place, where Christianity was established, strengthened, made to grow and to expand to other regions,” he said.

The Italian-born Apostolic Nuncio went on to trace the original meaning of the name “Bagamoyo”, the Tanzanian coastal town, where the inaugurated Episcopal See is headquartered.

The name comes from the Kiswahili phrase “Bwaga Moyo” (lay down your heart), he recalled, explained that in the 19th Century, Arab slave traders used Bagamoyo as the last point of the caravans that ferried slaves from the interior territories of Tanzania. 

At Bagamoyo, the slaves were imprisoned and transported by ship at night to the Zanzibar slave market. Thus, the term “Bwaga Moyo” referred to how the slaves deported from Bagamoyo lost all hope of ever seeing their homeland again.

In his May 4 address, the Apostolic Nuncio in Tanzania called upon the people of God in the newly inaugurated Catholic Diocese to follow in the steps of pioneer missionaries at the East African coast, the Spiritans, who he recalled were involved in liberating slaves.

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“As pilgrims of hope, especially here in Bagamoyo, a renowned pilgrimage site, let us preserve the missionary spirit of those who brought freedom to others and continue to inspire and empower us through our faith to liberate ourselves from any new forms of slavery,” he said.

The new forms of slavery, Archbishop Accattino explained, “may manifest as social injustice, hatred, lack of human dignity, and many other ways that we all recognize.”

Acknowledging the challenges of laying the foundation of a new Episcopal See, the Holy Father’s representative in Tanzania encouraged the pioneer Local Ordinary of Bagamoyo Diocese, Bishop Musomba, to draw inspiration from St. Augustine.

“Laying the foundation of a new Diocese is no easy task. It requires renewal, creativity, planning, and strategic arrangements,” he told Bishop Musomba, who belongs to the Order of St. Augustine (OSB), reminding him that the late Pope Francis “recognized this ability in you and entrusted you with this important process.”

Archbishop Accattino called upon the pioneer Local Ordinary of Bagamoyo Diocese to adhere to the threefold mission of Catholic Bishops to teach, sanctify, and govern.

“As you carry out your duties of teaching, governing, and sanctifying, may you be encouraged by St. Augustine to prepare people to know and love God. Without doubt, by doing so you will succeed in structuring the new Diocese as required by the Church, especially by following the guidance of your fellow Bishops and learning from the experiences of other Dioceses,” he said.

Archbishop Accattino further advised Bishop Musomba, “You will begin by strengthening the Catholic faith among your people as a vital first step, alongside establishing the necessary infrastructure and implementing strategic plans for the future of this new Diocese. Do not be afraid.”

He urged Bishop Musomba, who was until his appointment, one of the Auxiliary Bishops of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam, to entrust his Episcopal Ministry in the 36th Tanzanian Diocese to God “through the intercession of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.”

Carved out from Tanzania’s Catholic Diocese of Morogoro and the Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam, Bagamoyo Diocese becomes the sixth Suffragan Diocese of the Metropolitan See of Dar-es-Salaam alongside Ifakara, Mahenge, Morogoro, Tanga, and Zanzibar.

According to the Vatican March 2025 statistics, the newly inaugurated Diocese that measures 10,345 square kilometers starts off with 92,345 Catholics, representing 20.1 percent of the total population of the territory of the Episcopal See. It has 22 Parishes and 45 Priests, eight of whom are Diocesan. The Tanzanian Episcopal See has seven women Religious.

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