Tanzania's Songea Archdiocese Bishop, Nobert Mtega, retires

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has accpeted the resignation of Bishop Norbert Wendelin Mtega as ordinary/ bishop of the Archdicese of Songea in Tanzania. The archbishop of Iringa, in Tanzania, Mons. Tarcisius Ngalalekumtwa, has been appointed as new Apostolic Administrator of Songea, during this time that the dioces will be without an ordinary. The Vatican calls this period as “Sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis.”
Songea Archdioces was erected on 6 February 1969 and was elevated to the metropolitan archdiocese status on 18 November , 1987. According to the statistics of 2010, Songea has a population of 529,00 people out of whom 273, 360 are Catholics, distributed in 27 parishes and shephereded by 99 priests, 58 of whom are diocesan priests. 432 female religious work in the Archdiocese of Songea.