by Ben Taylor
His Eminence Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, the Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Dar es Salaam passed away on February 15, 2026, in Dar es Salaam. Widely seen as one of Africa’s leading prelates during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, he was laid to rest on February 28 at the Pugu Pilgrimage Centre. The funeral drew thousands of religious leaders, faithful, diplomats and government officials.
Cardinal Pengo served the Church for more than 55 years as a priest and over 40 years as a bishop. He was widely respected for his firm moral convictions, defence of human dignity, and commitment to national unity.
Born in 1944 and ordained to the priesthood in 1973, Father Pengo studied moral theology, became a seminary rector, and was appointed a bishop in 1983. Pope St. John Paul II ordained him a bishop in St. Peter’s Basilica in 1984. He led the Dioceses of Nachingwea (1984-86) and Tunduru-Masasi (1987-90) until his 1990 appointment as coadjutor archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania’s leading see. He acceded to the see in 1992 and governed it until his resignation, for reasons of age, in 2019.
St. John Paul created him a cardinal in 1998, making him the second Tanzanian to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. His fellow African bishops elected him president of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) from 2007 to 2009.
Speaking at the funeral service, the current SECAM President, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, described Cardinal Pengo as “a prophet of human dignity and peace in Africa,” praising his moral clarity on issues of justice, reconciliation, and respect for life.
In a telegram released on Saturday, February 21, Pope Leo XIV expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam. He remembered the late Cardinal Polycarp Pengo as a “wise and gentle pastor.”
Dr John Battersby Wood OBE, MA, B.Ch, FRCP, Consultant Chest Physician at Hereford County Hospital, founder of The Hereford-Muheza Hospital Link Society and former UK Governor of the Commonwealth Foundation (1994–2001), passed away in January at the age of 89.
John Wood was born on 13 July 1936 in Surrey, but the family moved to Manchester shortly afterwards, where John attended the local primary school in Bramhall and won a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School. He made a habit of winning scholarships, with one to Brasenose College, Oxford (1956) and later to St Mary’s Hospital Paddington, before qualifying in medicine in 1960.
In 1959 he met the love of his life, Bridget, also a medical student. They married a year later and remained happily married for the next 66 years. In 1967 John accepted a Senior Registrar post in Kampala, Uganda; he and Bridget moved their family, by then four children under six years old, to Africa. John worked at the newly built Mulago teaching hospital in Kampala, where, amongst other duties, he was surprised to take on the role of the country’s specialist in leprosy. It was here that his love of Africa began, along with his unstinting work in helping less favoured people in other parts of the world.
Returning to the UK in 1969, shortly before Idi Amin came to power, John settled in Hereford, where he remained employed in Hereford hospitals until his retirement in 1996.
John founded the Hereford-Muheza Link Society in 1985, linking Hereford hospitals with a hospital in Muheza, Tanzania. It continues to organise a regular interchange of staff between Muheza’s Teuli Hospital and the Hereford hospitals, so that hospital and health workers from both sides benefit from first-hand experience of healthcare in the other country. As well as nurturing the relationships between the two hospitals, it has also managed to send out regular containers of donated equipment to Tanzania.
This link is believed to be one of the longest and most successful in the UK, and recently celebrated its fortieth anniversary. Following his retirement from the NHS, John maintained an active interest in the charity and watched as it continued to carry out his vision of friendship, education, healthcare and co-operation across borders, as well as valuable research into malaria prevention.
John was appointed by Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd to the post of UK Governor of the Commonwealth Foundation. He served two stints as UK Governor from 1994 to 2001, helping to address the civic and cultural affairs of Commonwealth countries. He was extremely proud to carry out this role, and in 2004 was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to the Commonwealth.
Throughout his life, John was a keen sportsman and musician. Village cricket was his joy, which he played while at Oxford, in London and in Hereford, though he also enjoyed golf, table-tennis and, together with Bridget, sailing. He loved playing the piano and was the village organist for over 50 years. He was also an enthusiastic member of the Hereford Writers Group and published several books of his poems and short stories.
Tanzanian Minister William Vangimembe Lukuvi died in Dodoma on March 25, after a heart attack.
At the time of his death, Lukuvi was serving as a Senior Adviser to the President for Political and Social Relations, a position he had held since June 13, 2023. He was also the incumbent Member of Parliament for Ismani, a seat he had held continuously since November 1995.
Mr Lukuvi had held various senior government positions over the years, earning a reputation as one of the country’s most experienced political figures. He started as Deputy Minister of Labour and Youth Development, before being promoted to Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office for Policy, Co-ordination and Parliamentary Affairs between 2000 and 2005, and again from November 2010 to January 2015. Finally, he served as Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development from January 2015 until January 2022.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s office issued a statement, “The President extends her heartfelt sympathies to the Speaker of Parliament, the bereaved family, the people of Ismani and the nation at large during this difficult time,” the statement read.