Former Nuncio to New Zealand dies in Rome

Archbishop Rugambwa, originally from Tanzania, was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand and the Pacific in March 2019. He suffered a significant stroke in October 2023 and moved to Rome in March 2024 to continue his recovery.

New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference president Bishop Steve Lowe said Archbishop Rugambwa was a man of deep faith and of prayer who served the Church in New Zealand and the Pacific with warmth and generosity.

Bishop Lowe said it was a source of joy to see a recent photo of Archbishop Rugambwa meeting Pope Leo. Sadly, the Archbishop’s health deteriorated in the weeks since then.

Archbishop Rugambwa died on the evening of September 16, while undergoing treatment at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome.

Bishop Jovitus Francis Mwijage of the Tanzanian Diocese of Bukoba expressed deep sorrow over Archbishop Rugambwa’s death.

“May his soul rest in eternal peace,” said the Bishop. “Let us continue to pray for the repose of his soul.”

Archbishop Rugambwa joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1991, and went on to serve in various capacities in Vatican Nunciatures across the globe – including in New Zealand as a secretary.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. In 2010, he was named as Apostolic Nuncio to Angola and to São Tomé and Príncipe. In 2015, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Honduras, before his appointment to New Zealand in 2019.

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Tanzanian-born former Holy See diplomat dies in Rome (Vatican News)