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, Hon

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