Fake Faith or Political Theatre? The “100 Catholics” March That Shook Tanzania
6th January, 2026
By Adonis Byemelwa
On 5 January 2026, Dar es Salaam witnessed an unusual spectacle. A small but noisy group calling itself “Wakatoliki 100” marched to the Vatican Embassy in Tanzania, claiming they wanted to “report” senior Catholic leaders.
The demonstrators insisted they were defending the faith. Many Tanzanians, however, were left scratching their heads, wondering what was really going on.
At first glance, the protest appeared to be a routine expression of dissent. Nevertheless, the context surrounding it tells a deeper story.
Fr. Charles Kitima, Secretary General of TEC, has spent the past two years forcefully challenging abductors and criticising what he describes as a repressive government climate.
In public statements and pastoral forums, he has demanded accountability for kidnappings and attacks on clerics. His message has been blunt and consistent: criminals who intimidate priests must face the law.
The tension deepened after the violent events of 29 October last year. Speaking on 30 October 2025, Fr. Kitima strongly condemned the killings and said many of the injured had been dumped by the police at several Catholic hospitals across Tanzania.
He accused the police of interfering with medical care, alleging that officers insisted physicians should not treat the victims but allow them to die and be taken to morgues instead.
Fr. Kitima told reporters that the Church had evidence of intimidation against doctors who only wanted to save lives.
In the same address, he reminded critics that the Catholic Church was used to facing despotic regimes.
Fr. Kitima said the Church had endured tyrants since Hitler, who killed many Catholics, yet it would never, ever join hands with killers. He insisted he was ready to stand for truth and face reprisals, no matter the cost.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan had earlier warned religious leaders against fomenting divisions and “preaching politics.”
She noted she would not tolerate such behaviour under her helm. That warning triggered backlash online, with many asking why the government fails to act against imams who openly threaten to behead anyone who marches to oppose the ruling system.
Commenters questioned whether the so-called Catholics who marched to the Vatican Embassy were mere stooges being used for political theatre rather than for justice.
Recently, that activism nearly cost him his life. In 2025, Fr. Kitima was assaulted by unidentified attackers after a church event and was seriously injured. He was hospitalised for several days and treated for trauma-related complications.
Although he eventually recovered, the case remains unresolved, and the would-the killers have yet to be nabbed. That failure continues to worry Christians and civil society observers alike, who feel justice has been painfully slow.
Against that backdrop, the appearance of “100 Catholics” denouncing Kitima naturally triggered suspicion. Social media users quickly questioned whether the protest was genuine or carefully engineered.
Posts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook asked who had paid for the march, who had organised the press conferences that followed, and why journalists seemed far more eager to cover attacks on the Church than to investigate abductions themselves.
Some commentators pointed to the pattern of media events held in expensive hotels. “When national activists call the press to discuss kidnappings, only a handful turn up,” one social media user wrote. “But let someone attack TEC, and suddenly every camera in town is on the table.”
Others wondered aloud about the calibre of reporters being summoned to these briefings and whether professional ethics were being stretched.
Humour, as always in Tanzania, became part of the debate. A few Instagram users joked that the embassy should offer the protesters pork to test if they were truly Catholic, while others mocked factual blunders made by the group’s spokespeople.
The jokes were light-hearted, but the underlying concern was serious: many feared that political battles were spilling unnecessarily into religious space.
The criticism was not limited to Christian voices. Several Muslim organisations recently issued statements condemning the Catholic Church as a faith that allegedly creates chaos. Those remarks drew their own backlash online.
Prominent interfaith leaders responded that Tanzania’s peace depends on mutual respect among religions, not on trading insults.
Ordinary citizens, including Muslims, posted messages defending the right of Catholics to raise concerns about governance without being vilified.
Godbless Lema, former Arusha Urban MP, captured that anxiety in a widely shared warning:
“What is happening against Catholics is not a joke. It is open contempt and mockery of Christian institutions. This is a dangerous step for the nation.”
John Pambalu, Chair of Chadema’s Youth Wing, offered a similarly firm reaction. Speaking to supporters, he said, “The real enemies of Tanzania are abductors and those who protect them. Attacking a priest who condemns crime is absurd.”
Among the sharpest voices has been Bishop Benson Bagonza (PhD) of the ELCT Karagwe Diocese.
In his commentary on religious freedom, he praised the police for allowing the march but urged them to be equally tolerant of all opinions.
He reminded authorities that the Constitution protects peaceful expression, whether from Pentecostals, Muslims or Catholics.
The respected BBC journalist Sami Awamy dismissed the protest as a distraction. Writing on Instagram, Awamy mocked the organisers: “There is no value in these guys marching to the Vatican Embassy. What exactly do they want to achieve? Do they imagine bishops or Fr. Kitima will suddenly become helpless? Kitima is an educated man and a lawyer; he can do many jobs and survive anywhere.”
Awamy’s remarks were shared thousands of times, with many agreeing that the demonstration seemed more theatrical than constructive.
The Catholic hierarchy has not stayed silent. Archbishop Polycarp Cardinal Pengo’s successor, Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi – Dar es Salaam – recently addressed the matter directly.
In a pastoral message, Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi described the protesters as “uncatholic and foolish,” insisting they did not represent the Church.
According to accounts from congregants, he went further, calling them fools and stooges, and urged believers to dismiss them as mere pawns in the hands of unseen interests.
In one of the most authoritative reactions, TEC quoted Archbishop Ruwa’ichi as saying:
“A true Catholic does not fight priests who defend life and justice. These people are nothing but stooges.” Despite the growing storm, the Vatican Embassy in Tanzania has remained cautious.
As of this week, the embassy has yet to issue any official statement regarding the group opposing Catholic priests. Diplomatic observers believe the Holy See is monitoring the situation carefully before responding.
What is clear is that Fr. Kitima continues to enjoy strong grassroots support. Online reactions after the march showed people defending what the Catholics are doing: standing up for their clergy, demanding justice for abducted priests, and protecting constitutional freedoms.
The episode has therefore become less a revolt within Catholicism and more a test of how Tanzania handles disagreement.
As Bishop Benson Bagonza reminded readers, quoting Scripture, “The Church is built upon a rock, and not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it.”
For many Tanzanians, that verse carries a simple lesson. Political parties may rise and fall, but peace between state and religion must be guarded with wisdom.
Whether the organisers of the “100 Catholics” intended it or not, their march has forced the nation into an important conversation about justice, tolerance and the integrity of our media.
