Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin presides at the funeral Mass of Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, who served for many years as a diplomat of the Holy See.
By Sr. Christine Masivo, CPS
In a solemn funeral Mass held in St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, paid tribute to Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, recalling his decades of diplomatic service and his final witness of faith through suffering.
Archbishop Rugambwa passed away on September 16, following a prolonged illness.
Born in Bukoba, Tanzania, in 1957, he was ordained a priest in 1986 and went on to serve in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1991. His career spanned four continents, including assignments in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, culminating in his roles as Apostolic Nuncio in Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Honduras, and New Zealand, as well as Apostolic Delegate to the Pacific Islands.
Addressing the faithful gathered in the Basilica, Cardinal Parolin described Archbishop Rugambwa as a man of deep interior life, pastoral sensitivity, and diplomatic wisdom, who “responded without reservation to the gifts he had received.”
Funeral mass of the Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, who served for many years as an diplomat of the Holy See. (@VATICAN MEDIA)
His diplomatic service, Cardinal Parolin noted, was not merely political but deeply rooted in the pastoral charity that guided his efforts to build bridges of peace and understanding between peoples and nations.
“After many years of work,” the Cardinal said, “the Lord asked of him an even more demanding contribution: to suffer in union with Christ for the sanctification of the Church.”
He described Archbishop Rugambwa’s final months as a time of silent witness, during which his faith remained unwavering and his suffering became a source of grace for others.
Drawing from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Cardinal Parolin reminded those present that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed.” He emphasized that the late Archbishop now stands before God not with worldly accolades, but with the offering of a life lived in service, humility, and love.
Cardinal Parolin also highlighted the Archbishop’s integrity and coherence of life, quoting St. Paul VI, who once said, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers.”
Archbishop Rugambwa, he noted, was both but above all, a witness whose quiet consistency gave weight to his words and presence.
Funeral mass (@VATICAN MEDIA)
The Cardinal concluded his homily with a reflection on the Final Judgment, taken from the Gospel of Matthew, where those who served “the least of these” are welcomed into the Kingdom.
“This sensitivity to the voice of the poor,” said Cardinal Parolin, “was not an optional extra for Archbishop Novatus; it was central to his identity as a Christian and a priest.”
Quoting Pope St. Leo the Great, Cardinal Parolin ended with a prayer that Archbishop Rugambwa may now rest in the eternal peace of God, having been a true “operator of peace” and faithful servant in the Lord’s vineyard.
The funeral was attended by Vatican officials, members of the diplomatic corps, clergy, religious, and lay faithful, along with representatives from Rugambwa’s native Tanzania.
