DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — The beatification cause of Servant of God Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzania's first president, has reached the stage of interrogating witnesses, a Tanzanian Catholic bishop involved in the process said, describing the phase as critical in establishing the late leader's reputation for holiness and heroic virtue.
In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, Bishop Henry Mchamungu, the episcopal delegate in Nyerere's cause, said the diocesan inquiry is currently gathering testimony about the late president's life, faith, and virtues.
"We are in the process of interrogating witnesses," Mchamungu said. "This is a very important stage because we have to ask people many questions to obtain sufficient information about the life, virtues, and faith of Mwalimu Nyerere."
The bishop, who spoke to ACI Africa on the sidelines of the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) July 19–26 in Nairobi, Kenya, explained that the tribunal conducts detailed interviews with each witness.
"Each witness is asked many questions — sometimes one person can be asked 30 or even 40 questions. We have to listen to many witnesses because we need to gather enough evidence concerning his life and his virtues," Mchamungu said.
Nyerere's cause was initiated in 2005 after the late Bishop Justin Samba of the Diocese of Musoma, together with the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), petitioned the Holy See to open the canonization process.
Pope Benedict XVI declared the former president a servant of God on May 13, 2005.
Mchamungu explained that the cause was later transferred from the Diocese of Musoma to the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam.
"The president of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference informed the archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, who at that time was Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, that the cause should be transferred from Musoma to Dar-es-Salaam," he explained.
On May 2, 2014, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a rescript authorizing the transfer of the competent forum for the diocesan inquiry from Musoma to Dar es Salaam.
According to Mchamungu, progress slowed after the transfer because Pengo experienced prolonged health challenges.
The process was revived in 2023 when the president of TEC appointed a new postulator to oversee the cause.
"In 2023, it became necessary to revive the cause again," Mchamungu told ACI Africa. "The president of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference appointed a postulator, who is the person responsible for guiding the cause."
He noted that the process required further reorganization after the first postulator stepped down for personal reasons.
"We had to look for another person. After some time, we found another postulator who accepted the responsibility. Although he does not live in Tanzania, he agreed to help us continue with the cause," Mchamungu said, referring to Nairobi-based Brother Reginald D. Cruz.
He acknowledged that the work of the diocesan tribunal remains demanding because its members also carry pastoral responsibilities.
"Everyone has other pastoral duties. Therefore, finding time to meet and conduct the sessions is not easy. However, the cause is continuing after having remained inactive for a long time," he said.
Mchamungu appealed to Catholics to pray for the progress of the cause, expressing hope that Nyerere may one day be declared blessed.
"We continue asking God that the cause may continue," he said. "The day will come, God willing, when he will be declared blessed."
Mchamungu encouraged those who believe they have received extraordinary graces through Nyerere's intercession to report them to the tribunal.
"If someone receives a grace through his intercession, that person should inform the tribunal so that it can be investigated and recorded. Later, it can help in the process of declaring him blessed and, God willing, later a saint," the bishop said.
Reflecting on Nyerere's early life, the Tanzanian bishop recalled his close relationship with the Catholic Church before entering politics.
"Before becoming involved in politics, he was a teacher. He taught at St. Francis Secondary School in Pugu, a school that was run by the Holy Ghost Fathers," he said.
Mchamungu added that the future president's experience within the Church helped shape his character and approach to public service.
"He was close to the Church and to the priests who managed that school. They knew him and saw that he was a special person, a young man with good values and commitment," he told ACI Africa.
The Catholic Church leader continued: "Nyerere received many good values from the Church. Those values helped him become a leader who put people before his own interests. That is why many people continue to remember him as an example of leadership with integrity and service to society."
This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
