Laurean Rugambwa

{{Short description|First modern Black African Catholic Cardinal}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Cardinal

| honorific_prefix = His Eminence

| name = Laurean Rugambwa

| honorific_suffix =

| title = Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Dar-es-Salaam

| image =

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| church = Catholic Church

| archdiocese = Dar-es-Salaam

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| diocese =

| see = Dar-es-Salaam

| elected =

| appointed = 19 December 1969

| term =

| term_start =

| term_end = 22 July 1992

| enthroned =

| quashed =

| predecessor = Edgar Aristide Maranta

| successor = Polycarp Pengo

| opposed =

| previous_post = {{unbulleted list|Vicar Apostolic of Lower Kagera (1951-53)|Titular Bishop of Febiana (1951-53)|Bishop of Rutabo (1953-60)|Bishop of Bukoba (1960-68)}}

| other_post = Cardinal-Priest of San Francesco d'Assisi a Ripa Grande (1960-92)

| ordination = 12 December 1943

| ordained_by = Burkhard Huwiler

| consecration = 10 February 1952

| consecrated_by = David James Mathew

| cardinal = 28 March 1960

| created_cardinal_by = John XXIII

| rank = Cardinal-Priest

| birth_name = Laurean Rugambwa

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1912|07|12}}

| birth_place = Bukoba, German East Africa

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1997|12|08|1912|07|12}}

| death_place = Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

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| alma_mater = Pontifical Urbaniana University

| motto = Mater boni consilii

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| coat_of_arms = 140px

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}}

{{infobox cardinalstyles|

cardinal name=Laurean Rugambwa|

dipstyle=His Eminence|

offstyle=Your Eminence|

See=Dar es Salaam (emeritus)|}}

Laurean Rugambwa (12 July 1912 – 8 December 1997) was a Tanzanian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Dar es Salaam from 1968 to 1992. He was made a cardinal in 1960 by Pope John XXIII, becoming the first such native African.

Biography

Laurean Rugambwa was born to an aristocratic family in Bukongo, Tanganyika (present-day Kagera Region of Tanzania), and baptized with his parentsTIME Magazine. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190937/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871562,00.html Seven New Hats] March 14, 1960 at age 8, on 19 March 1921. After studying at Katigondo National Major Seminary in Uganda,[https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/11/world/laurean-rugambwa-chosen-africa-s-first-cardinal-85.html New York Times obituary] he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Burcardo Huwiler, MAfr, on 12 December 1943. Rugambwa then did missionary work in West Africa until 1949, when he went to Rome to study at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, from which he obtained his doctorate in canon law.

On 13 December 1951 Rugambwa was appointed titular bishop of Febiana and the first Apostolic Vicar of Lower Kagera. The youngest of Africa's bishops, he received his episcopal consecration on 10 February 1952 from Archbishop David Mathew, with Bishops Joseph Kiwanuka, MAfr, and Joseph Blomjous serving as co-consecrators. When his apostolic vicariate was elevated to a diocese on 25 March 1953, Rugambwa was named Bishop of Rutabo by Pope Pius XII. He was created Cardinal Priest of S. Francesco a Ripa by Pope John XXIII in the consistory of 28 March 1960. He was the first native African cardinal of the modern era. On the following 21 June his diocese was renamed Bukoba.

Described as a progressive,TIME Magazine. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930061015/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829210-9,00.html Council of Renewal] October 5, 1962 Rugambwa attended the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. He strongly pushed for the Roman Curia to be internationalized. He was also an advocate of inter-Christian ecumenism.{{cite news |title=Laurean Rugambwa, Chosen Africa's First Cardinal, 85 (Published 1997) |work=The New York Times |date=11 December 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116214549/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/11/world/laurean-rugambwa-chosen-africa-s-first-cardinal-85.html |archive-date=2020-11-16 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/11/world/laurean-rugambwa-chosen-africa-s-first-cardinal-85.html |last1=Bohlen |first1=Celestine }}

After Vatican II Rugambwa was active in implementing its reforms. He was one of the cardinal electors in the 1963 papal conclave that elected Pope Paul VI. Advanced to Archbishop of Dar es Salaam on 19 December 1968, he later participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which elected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively. Rugambwa resigned as Dar es Salaam's archbishop on 22 July 1992, after twenty-three years of service, during which he founded the first Catholic hospital in Ukonga and a female Roman Catholic religious institute, the Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.

Death

Rugambwa died in Dar es Salaam at the age of 85. He was buried in the cathedral of the Bukoba diocese after his remains were transferred from a parish church in the Kagera Region. His death left just two cardinals created by John XXIII, Raul Silva Henriquez and Franz König.

Trivia

In 1961, the Cardinal received an honorary doctorate in laws from the University of Notre Dame.TIME Magazine. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930100730/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938131,00.html Kudos] 9 June 1961
Before returning to Tanzania after the August 1978 conclave, he visited the United States, where he then received word of Pope John Paul I's death.TIME Magazine. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930114756/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919865-6,00.html The September Pope] 9 October 1978

References

External links

[https://archive.today/20130222020801/http://www.rc.net/tanzania/tec/rugambwa.htm His Eminence Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa]
[http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-r.htm#Rugambwa Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]

{{succession box |

title=Bishop of Bukoba |

before=none |

after=Placidus Nkalanga, OSB |

years=1951–1968 }}

{{succession box |

title=Archbishop of Dar es Salaam |

before=Edgard Maranta, OFM Cap |

after=Polycarp Pengo |

years=1969–1992 }}

Category:1912 births

Category:1997 deaths