Kigoma, 07 January, 2026 / 5:33 pm (ACI Africa).
Bishop Joseph Roman Mlola of Tanzania’s Catholic Diocese of Kigoma has cautioned the newly ordained Deacons in his Episcopal See against influences that could weaken their fidelity to Christ and the Church, urging them to always remain firm in the faith and embrace ongoing formation.
In his homily on Tuesday, January 6, during the Ordination Mass for eight Deacons at St. Joseph Iterambogo Minor Seminary, Bishop Mlola encouraged those he was ordaining to continue learning so as to guide the faithful rightly from a position of sound knowledge.
“In seeking Jesus, you will meet Herod,” the Tanzanian Catholic Bishop said at the event, which coincided with the Feast of Epiphany, alluding to the Gospel of Mathew’s account on the encounter of the Magi with King Herod in Jerusalem after the birth of Jesus.
He added, “In serving and bringing him (Jesus) to the people, many “Herods” will appear who seek to impose their own teachings and to lead us away from the straight path of Christ and from remaining faithful to him.”
“Stand firm, learn much about our faith and about the Church, and then go and teach the faithful, so that they may not be trapped by those “Herods” and led away from the right path of their faith and discipleship,” the Bishop said, emphasizing the importance of ongoing formation.
