Vatican City: The Vatican bid farewell to Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa with a solemn funeral Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, led the liturgy and offered a moving tribute to the late prelate’s life of service, witness, and faith.
Archbishop Rugambwa, a seasoned Vatican diplomat who represented the Holy See across four continents, passed away on September 16 after a prolonged illness. He was 67.
Born in 1957 in Bukoba, Tanzania, Novatus Rugambwa was ordained a priest in 1986 before entering the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1991. Over three decades, he served in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, taking on missions in both challenging and hopeful contexts. He eventually became Apostolic Nuncio to Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Honduras, and New Zealand, as well as Apostolic Delegate to the Pacific Islands. His work embodied the Church’s mission to promote dialogue, peace, and reconciliation on the international stage.
In his homily, Cardinal Parolin described Archbishop Rugambwa as “a man of deep prayer, pastoral sensitivity, and diplomatic wisdom, who responded without reservation to the gifts he had received.” He stressed that the Archbishop’s diplomacy was never purely political, but always rooted in pastoral charity, seeking to build bridges between peoples and nations.
Reflecting on Rugambwa’s final illness, the Cardinal said the Archbishop gave “an even more demanding contribution” to the Church by uniting his suffering with Christ. “His final months became a silent but eloquent witness of faith, a grace offered for the sanctification of the Church,” Parolin noted.
Drawing from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Cardinal Parolin reminded mourners that present sufferings pale in comparison to the glory to come. He emphasized that Archbishop Rugambwa now stands before God not with worldly honors, but with the testimony of a life lived humbly in service.
Quoting St. Paul VI, Parolin said modern men and women are more moved by witnesses than by teachers: “Archbishop Rugambwa was both, but above all, he was a witness. His quiet consistency gave weight to his words and credibility to his mission.”
The homily concluded with a reference to the Gospel of Matthew, in which Christ welcomes those who serve “the least of these.” Cardinal Parolin remarked that Rugambwa’s closeness to the poor and vulnerable was not an optional trait, but central to his vocation as a Christian, priest, and diplomat.
Parolin closed with words of Pope St. Leo the Great, praying that Rugambwa, who had served as an “operator of peace,” might now rest in eternal communion with the Lord.
The funeral brought together Vatican officials, members of the diplomatic corps, clergy and religious from across the world, lay faithful, and a strong delegation from Tanzania, underscoring the breadth of Archbishop Rugambwa’s influence and the gratitude of the Church for his decades of service.