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Archbishop Emeritus of Dar es Salaam
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Polycarp Cardinal Pengo (born 1944) was the Archbishop Emeritus of Dar es Salaam and the most senior and influential Catholic figure in Tanzania. Elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in 1998, Cardinal Pengo served as the spiritual shepherd of the Dar es Salaam Archdiocese for over 27 years before retiring in 2019, handing the reins to Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa'ichi. Even in his retirement during the volatile 2020s, Cardinal Pengo remains a colossus of moral authority in the nation. Tanzanian politics heavily relies on the tacit approval of faith leaders, and Pengo has a long history of mediating national crises. He played a pivotal role in maintaining religious harmony between Christians and Muslims in the coastal regions. However, his tenure and post-retirement commentary have occasionally sparked fierce debate, particularly when his calls for peace and obedience to authority were interpreted by the opposition as endorsements of the increasingly authoritarian CCM regime.
Elevated to Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1998, becoming the primary voice of the Catholic Church in East Africa
Served as the Archbishop of Dar es Salaam (1992–2019), overseeing massive expansion of Catholic health and educational infrastructure in the region
President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (2007–2013)
Drew heavy criticism from the Tanzanian opposition and civil society in 2018/2019 when he publicly opposed the issuance of a critical pastoral letter by fellow bishops that had condemned the Magufuli administration's human rights abuses, stating that the church should not mix in politics
Accused by critics of being overly accommodating to the ruling CCM party, utilizing his moral authority to pacify citizens protesting electoral fraud rather than holding the state accountable
Played a critical behind-the-scenes role in mediating the Zanzibar political crises over multiple election cycles
