Overview
- Cardinal Polycarp Pengo died on February 19 while receiving treatment at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute in Dar es Salaam, according to the archdiocese.
- Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi confirmed the death, urged prayers, and said funeral arrangements will be announced once finalized.
- Pope Leo XIV’s telegram offered heartfelt condolences to the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam and commended Pengo’s soul to Christ’s mercy.
- Pengo led the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam from 1992 until his 2019 retirement, was made a cardinal by John Paul II in 1998, and was Tanzania’s second cardinal after Laurean Rugambwa.
- He served as SECAM president from 2007 to 2009, sat on several Vatican dicasteries, and took part in the 2005 and 2013 papal conclaves.