Two Catholic bishops die within 4 days

Two Catholic Church bishops have died within four days.

One of them, Most Rev. Peter Chukwu, died on Friday April 10 while the other, Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa died on April 14.

The late Bishop Chukwu was of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State while the late Bishop Francis Mfumbusa was of the Kondoa Diocese in Tanzania.

A statement issued on Saturday by the Vicar General of the Abakaliki diocese, Rev. Fr. Donatus Chukwu said the late Bishop Chukwu, an indigene of Ededeagu Umuezeokohu in the Ezza North Local Government Area of the state, died on Friday at the age of 60.

The diocese, in the statement, expressed sorrow while entrusting the late bishop to the mercy of God.

The statement added, “Chukwu, who served as the spiritual head of the diocese, was born on November 5, 1965.

“He was ordained a priest on July 3, 1993, dedicating decades of his life to pastoral service and the growth of the Catholic faith.

“His episcopal journey reached a significant milestone when he was consecrated and installed as the third Bishop of the diocese on August 19, 2021.

“During his tenure, Bishop Chukwu was said to have been known for his strong commitment to evangelisation, pastoral care, and the strengthening of the faith community within the diocese and beyond.

“His leadership, the diocese noted, left a lasting imprint on both clergy and lay faithful.”

The diocese has called on priests, religious, and the laity to keep the late cleric in their prayers, while also supporting the entire diocesan family during this period of mourning.

According to the statement, funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

Reporting the death of the late Bishop Francis Mfumbusa Vatican News said:

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Tanzania (TEC) has announced, with sadness, the death of Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa of Kondoa Diocese. Bishop Mfumbusa was admitted to Dodoma’s Benjamin Mkapa Hospital due to illness and died there on Tuesday morning, 14 April 2026.

On 9 April 2026, just five days before his death, Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Mfumbusa to the Vatican’s Dicastery Commission for Communication.

Communications expert

Apart from being the Ordinary of Kondoa Diocese, Bishop Mfumbusa was also a respected academic and communications expert. The 20th Plenary Assembly of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), held in Kigali, Rwanda, July-August 2025, elected him as President of the Pan-African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS).

The TEC expressed profound sorrow at the untimely passing of Bishop Mfumbusa.

Bishop Mfumbusa was the first bishop of Kondoa, a diocese established in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI. He was ordained priest for the Diocese of Dodoma on 14 June 1992. His episcopal consecration took place on 15 May 2011.

Sustainability and interfaith dialogue

Bishop Mfumbusa on a visit to Vatican News- Vatican Radio studios

Bishop Mfumbusa on a visit to Vatican News- Vatican Radio studios

Born 1962, in Kondoa, he later pursued advanced graduate studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in communications in 1997.

After studying in Rome, he returned to Tanzania and joined the faculty at St. Augustine Catholic University of Tanzania (SAUT), serving as Dean of Social Sciences, Assistant Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and eventually Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

As shepherd of Kondoa Diocese, Bishop Mfumbusa placed significant emphasis on diocesan self-sustainability and promoted interfaith coexistence in the mainly Muslim region, demonstrating his commitment to both pastoral responsibility and social harmony.

He ardently promoted the Church’s use of new media for evangelization and communications.