Tanzania

An Omani sultan gained control of the island of Zanzibar and made Zanzibar City his capital in 1840.  Zanzibar then became the center of the Arab slave trade which lasted until 1890.  Today, the people of Zanzibar are almost all Muslim.  Germany conquered what is now mainland Tanzania in the 1880s and held it until the First World War.  The British were given control as a result of the war and named their colony Tanganyika.  Tanganyika gained independence in 1961.  Zanzibar overthrew their Arab government in 1963 and merged with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the new nation of Tanzania.  

Portuguese Augustinians came to Zanzibar in 1499, but were expelled by the Arabs in 1698.  The Holy Ghost Fathers came back in 1863 and Zanzibar became an important point of departure for missionaries to East Africa.  The Holy Ghost Fathers came to what was later named Tanganyika in 1868.  Tanzania has 54 million people and 61 percent are Christian, equally divided between Catholics and Protestants.  Another 35 percent are Muslim.  There are seven Catholic ecclesiastic provinces—Arusha, Dar es-Salaam, Dodoma, Mbeya, Mwanza, Songea, and Tabora.

Province of Dar-es-Salaam

The province consists of the civil regions of Dar es-Salaam, Morogoro, Pwani, Tanga, as well as both Pemba regions, and all three Zanzibar regions in east central Tanzania.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Southern Zanguebar was established in 1887 and became an apostolic vicariate in 1902.  This became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dar es-Salaam in 1953.

The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Dar es-Salaam was built in a Gothic style by the Germans between 1897 and 1902.  Its stained glass windows are noteworthy.

Pictures are from Pinterest, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Morogoro was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Zanguebar in 1906 and became the Diocese of Morogoro in 1953.
• The Diocese of Tanga was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1950 and became a diocese in 1958.
• The Diocese of Mahenge was established in 1964.
• The Diocese of Zanzibar was established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Zanguebar in 1860 and became the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Zanguebar in 1887.  This was suppressed in 1953 before becoming an apostolic administration in 1964.  The Diocese of Zanzibar was created in 1980.
• The Diocese of Ifakara was established in 2012.

Province of Tabora

The province consists of the civil regions of Katavi, Kigoma, Tabora, and western Sinyanga in west central Tanzania.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Unianyembe was created in 1887 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tabora in 1953.  St. Theresa’s Cathedral is in Tabora.  See catbr.or.tz for pictures.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Kigoma was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1946 and was promoted to a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Kahama was established in 1983.
• The Diocese of Mpanda was established in 2000.

Province of Mwanza

The province consists of the civil regions of Geita, Kagera, Mara, Mwanza, Simiyu, and eastern Shinyanga in northwestern Tanzania.  The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Victoria-Nyanza was established in 1894, became the Diocese of Mwnza in 1953 and a metropolitan archdiocese in 1987.

The Cathedral of the Epiphany in Mwanza was built in the early 20th Century.  Plans are underway to build a larger cathedral.

The Province has seven suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Bukoba was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1929 and became a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Shinyanga was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1950 and became a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Musoma was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1946 and became a diocese in 1957.
• The Diocese of Rulenge-Ngara was established as the Diocese of Rulenge in 1960 and acquired its current name in 2008.
• The Diocese of Geita was established in 1984.
• The Diocese of Kayanga was established in 2008.
• The Diocese of Bunda was established in 2010.

Province of Songea

The province consists of the civil regions of Iringa, Lindi, Mtwara, Njombe, and Ruvuma in southeastern Tanzania.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Lindi was established in 1913, became a territorial abbacy in 1927, a diocese in 1969, and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Songea in 1987.

St. Mathias Mulumba Kalemba Cathedral in Songea was built between 1965 and 1968 by a German Benedictine brother.  It is dedicated to one of the 22 Martyrs of Uganda.  See songea.org. 

From the Cathedral website.

The Province has five suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Lindi was established in 1963.
• The Diocese of Njombe was established in 1968.
• The Diocese of Mtwara was established as a territorial abbacy in 1931 and became a diocese in 1972.
• The Diocese of Tunduru-Masasi was established in 1986.
• The Diocese of Mbinga was established in 1986.

Province of Arusha

The province consists of the civil regions of Arusha, Kilimanjaro, and Manyara in northeastern Tanzania.  The Diocese of Arusha was established in 1963 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Arusha in 1999.  St. Theresa’s Cathedral in Arusha was built in a Romanesque style in 1926.

From Wikipedia

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Moshi was established as an apostolic vicariate in 1910 and became a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Mbulu was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1943, became an apostolic vicariate in 1952, and became a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Same was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1963 and became a diocese in 1977.

Province of Dodoma

The province consists of the civil regions of Dodoma and Singida in central Tanzania.  The Apostolic Prefecture of Dodoma was established in 1935, became an apostolic vicariate in 1951, a diocese in 1953, and a metropolitan archdiocese in 2014.  St. Paul of the Cross Cathedral is in Dodoma. 

The first picture is from the diocesan website and the second is from a local tourist website.

The Province has two suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Singida was established in 1972.
• The Diocese of Kondoa was established in 2011.

Province of Mbeya

The province consists of the civil regions of Iringa, Mbeya, Rukwa, and Songwe in southwestern Tanzania.  The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mbeya began as a Mission sui juris in 1932, became an apostolic prefecture in 1938, an apostolic vicariate in 1949, a diocese in 1953, and finally a metropolitan archdiocese in 2018.  Christ the King Cathedral is in Mbeya.  See the archdiocesan website at mbeyadiocese.org.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Sumbawanga was established as the Apostolic Vicariate of Tanganyika in 1880 and became a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Iringa was established as an apostolic prefecture in 1922, became an apostolic vicariate in 1948, and a diocese in 1953.
• The Diocese of Mafinga was established in 2023.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic vicariates, apostolic prefectures, and missions sui juris, which are missionary territories below the level of a diocese.  A territorial abbacy is a jurisdiction under the abbot of a local monastery, who has the authority of a bishop.