Diocese of Dar es Salaam

The Diocese of Dar es Salaam is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Tanzania. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Jackson Sosthenes.

For the Roman Catholic archdiocese, see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dar-es-Salaam.

Diocese of Dar es Salaam
Bishopric
St. Albans in Daressalaam., Maktaba Street, Anglican Cathedral
Location
Country	Tanzania
Coordinates	6.485516°S 39.1736993°E / -6.485516; 39.1736993
Statistics
Area	18,000 km^2 (6,900 sq mi)
Information
Rite	Anglican
Archdiocese	Tanzania
Cathedral	St Albans Cathedral Church
Current leadership
Parent church	Anglican Church of Tanzania
Bishop	Right Reverend Jackson Sosthenes

Geography

The diocese of Dar es Salaam is the wealthiest diocese in Tanzania.[1] It covers an area of 18,000 square kilometres (6,900 sq mi). It includes the Dar es Salaam and Coast Regions. At its heart is the city of Dar es Salaam, the cultural and economic capital of Tanzania (the political capital is Dodoma). On 11 July 2004 St Albans Cathedral Church became the Cathedral Church of the diocese.[2]

History

Dar es Salaam was formerly within the Diocese of Zanzibar, which in 1963 was renamed the Diocese of Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam.[3] This diocese was split and the new Diocese of Dar-es-Salaam inaugurated on 10 July 1965.[4] John Sepeku had been serving as an assistant bishop of Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. He was installed as the first diocesan Bishop of Dar es Salaam on the diocese's inauguration[4] The Anglican Church of Tanzania was inaugurated in 1970 after the Province of East Africa was divided into the Province of Kenya and the Province of Tanzania.[5] Sepeku remained bishop of the diocese of Dar es Selaam, retaining office while also Archbishop of Tanzania, until his death in 1983.[6]

On 1 April 1984 the Rt. Rev. Christopher Mlangwa was consecrated as Bishop of Dar-es-Salaam.[7] He was known for his simplicity of life and his unifying influence. After he retired, his diocese had to find a house for him, since he had no money.[8] Both Sepeku and Mlangwa were from Tanga Region. Mlangwa did not want to be succeeded by another priest from Tanga, but had not prepared anyone from another part of the country, so he remained in office after he reached retirement age. This caused conflicts in the diocese that lasted until Valentino Mokiwa (a Mzigua from Tanga) was elected in 2002.[9]

Basil Mattiya Sambano was the third bishop, holding office from 1992 to 2001, when he retired.[10] Valentino Mokiwa, a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, became bishop of Dar es Salaam in April 2002. He was elected Archbishop of Tanzania on 28 February 2008 and installed on 25 May 2008, replacing Archbishop Donald Leo Mtetemela.[5]

In 2013 there was a hard-fought election for the position of Archbishop of Tanzania. The contestants were the evangelical Jacob Chimeledya and the Anglo-Catholic incumbent archbishop of Tanzania and bishop of Dar es Salaam Valentino Mokiwa. Chimeledya won the election with the support of bishops from the Wagogo tribe. Mokiwa's supporters claimed that the electors had been bribed by foreigners who favored Chimeledya, but eventually Mokiwa accepted the result. Several of the Anglo-Catholic dioceses, including Dar es Salaam, withdrew support for the national church.[1]

In 2016 Chimeledya launched an investigation by the House of Bishops that found that Mokiwa had embezzled funds of his diocese, although Mokiwa claimed he was innocent and the charges had political motivation.[1] On 7 January 2017 Chimeledya deposed Mokiwa.[11] On 2 March 2017 Chimeledya licensed Augustino Ramadhani, a former Chief Justice of Tanzania, as a priest of the Diocese of Mpwapwa and appointed him to lead St Albans Cathedral Church in Dar es Salaam in place of Mokiwa. Ramadhani was episcopal vicar of the diocese until 4 Feb 2018 when the Right Reverend Jackson Sosthenes was consecrated bishop of the diocese.[11] Sosthenes had been educated at the evangelical Trinity School for Ministry in the United States and was seen as a supporter of Archbishop Chimeledya.[1]

Bishops

Bishop	Start	End	Notes
John Sepeku	10 July 1965	November 1983	Died in office
Christopher Mlangwa	1 April 1984	1991
Basil Sambano	1992	2001	Retired
Valentino Mokiwa	April 2002	7 January 2017	Deposed
Augustino Ramadhani	2 March 2017	4 February 2018	Interim (episcopal vicar)
Jackson Sosthenes	4 February 2018		Incumbent

Notes

1. Conger 2018.
2. Diocese of Dar es Salaam.
3. Who's Who in East Africa.
4. New Diocese of Dar-es-Salaam. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNew_Diocese_of_Dar-es-Salaam (help)
5. Davies 2008.
6. Ex-Primate of Tanzania dies. sfn error: no target: CITEREFEx-Primate_of_Tanzania_dies (help)
7. Anaheim Meeting.
8. Mndolwa 2012, p. 166.
9. Mndolwa 2012, p. 245.
10. Mrithi wa Mokiwa ...
11. Conger 2020.

Sources

• "Anaheim Meeting House of Bishops" (PDF), Journal of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, p. 110, 27 May 1985, retrieved 2020-07-20
• Conger, George (8 February 2018), "Battle for Dar es Salaam ends with consecration of new bishop", Anglican Ink, retrieved 2020-07-20
• Conger, George (28 April 2020), "Tanzania's Augustino Ramadhani dead", Anglican Ink, retrieved 2020-07-17
• Davies, Matthew (29 May 2008), "TANZANIA: Valentino L. Mokiwa enthroned as primate", The Episcopal Church, retrieved 2020-07-20
• Diocese of Dar es Salaam, The Anglican Church of Tanzania, retrieved 2020-07-19
• "Ex-Primate of Tanzania dies". Church Times (#6303). 2 December 1983. p. 3. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 18 February 2020 – via UK Press Online archives.
• Mndolwa, William Fabian (November 2012), From Anglicanism To African Socialism:The Anglican Church And Ujamaa InTanzania 1955-2005 (PDF) (Thesis), Pietermaritzburg, retrieved 2020-07-20
• "Mrithi wa Mokiwa kusimikwa kesho", The Guardian (in Swahili), IPP Media, 3 February 2018
• "New Diocese of Dar-es-Salaam inaugurated". Church Times (#5343). 9 July 1965. p. 8. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 18 February 2020 – via UK Press Online archives.
• "Who's Who in East Africa". Marco Surveys Ltd. 1965. p. 5.