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Diocesan Administrator of Tanga Catholic Diocese in Tanzania Appointed Bishop

Mons. Thomas John Kiangio greets Pope Francis in Rome. Credit: Vatican media

By Silas Isenjia

Tanga, 07 June, 2023 / 9:03 pm (ACI Africa).

Pope Francis has appointed the Diocesan administrator of Tanga Catholic Diocese in Tanzania Bishop of the same Episcopal See.

The appointment of Mons. Thomas John Kiangio that the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) confirmed was made public by the Holy See Press Office on Wednesday, June 7.

The Tanzanian Catholic Diocese has been vacant since December 2020 following the death of Bishop Anthony Mathias Banzi who had been at the helm of the Diocese since September 1994.

Born in March 1965, Mons. Kiangio was ordained a Priest for Tanga Diocese in July 1997 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at St. Anthony Major Seminary in Bukoba Diocese and St. Charles Mwanga Major Seminary in Dar-es-Salaam Archdiocese, respectively.

The alumnus of the Rome-based Pontifical Urbaniana University where he obtained a Licentiate and Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology has served as General Secretary and Chancellor of the Diocese of Tanga.

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The Tanzanian Bishop-elect who has done a course in Clinical Pastoral Education at Bugando Medical Hospital in Mwanza has also served as Vice-Pastor of Tanga's Master of Discipline, Parish Priest, Lecturer, Vice-Rector and then Rector of St. Joseph Minor Seminary in the East African nation.

Once consecrated Bishop, Mons. Kiangio will be the fifth Bishop of Tanga Diocese, which has a population of 263,730 Catholics, representing 11.6 percent of the total population in the Tanzanian Episcopal See, according to 2020 statistics. 

The 27,348 square-kilometer Diocese that was erected in April 1950 as Vicariate Apostolic of Kilimanjaro before being elevated to a Diocese in 1958 is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Dar-es-Salaam.

In the statement announcing the Episcopal appointment of Mons. Kiangio, TEC leadership is invoking God to grant "good health of body and mind” to the Bishop-elect ahead of “his new Apostolic Journey.”

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.

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