Tanzanians hail Benedict XVI
 
2005-04-21 08:51:08
By Deogratias Mushi and Judica Tarimo

	Pope Benedict XVI

Tanzanian Christians hailed the election of Pope Benedict XVI to head the 1.1-billion member church, saying he would uphold the doctrines and values that were the cornerstone of the papacy of his predecessor Pope John Paul II.

In Dar es Salaam, most of the people we interviewed yesterday said the new Pope, had the qualities to lead the church at a time when liberals were calling for the legalisation of abortion and same-sex marriages.

Reached for comment, the chairman of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Bishop Severin Niwemugizi, said the new pontiff would defend and promote Catholic Church doctrines and values around the world.

Rev. Fiffredus Rwechungura, Parish Priest of the St. Joseph Cathedral, said, “I am happy that we have a leader who has the capability to uphold the church’s norms and teachings and resist pressure from liberals.”

Speaking by telephone from his Rulenge base, Bishop Niwemugizi said that the new pope – who prior to his election on Tuesday was known as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger – is an intellectual who the church needs to navigate the faithfuls through the globalisation era.

“I know the new Pope personally, and I am sure he is the right person to head the church at this critical time,” Bishop Niwemugizi said.

Critics of Pope Benedict XVI say he is too conservative and incapable of instituting reforms in tandem with shifting geopolitics and the role of the church in a free market economy because of his advanced age. He is 78 years old.

Bishop Niwemugizi said TEC was opposed to Catholic liberalists, as they are bent on encroaching on the morals that have served humanity through the ages.

Bishop Niwemugizi said he met the pope informally in Rome when he was a priest on different occasions during his (Niwemugizi’s) study tour at the Pontifical Urbanian University between 1987 and 1992.

“Pope Benedict XVI is kind and understanding. He understands the Christianity and Catholicism better than most of the cardinals who had been proposed to succeed Pope John Paul II. He cannot be swayed by liberalists,” he said.

Commenting on the new pope’s age, which has been an issue, Rev Rwechungura said the Pope is God’s choice.

“Age is not a big problem; our concern was the kind of pope God would give Catholics and the rest of the world,” said Rev. Rwechungura.

Niwemugizi said that liberalists make decisions without thinking of the repercussions. The church needed a leader who is ready to guard its fundamental teachings and restore the faithful to God, he said.

He said that Pope Benedict’s reputation as a hardline traditionalist means debate on liberal issues, including use of condoms, as part of prevention strategies in the face of the Aids pandemic, would be entertained.

• SOURCE: Guardian