Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mwanza

Archdiocese of Mwanza
Archdiocese of Mwanza; Archidioecesis Mvanzaënsis
Location
Country	Tanzania
Territory	Mwanza
Ecclesiastical province	Archdiocese of Mwanza
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	1880
Cathedral	Metropolitan Cathedral of the Epiphany
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Archbishop	Renatus Leonard Nkwande

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mwanza (Latin: Archidioecesis Mvanzaënsis) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Mwanza in Tanzania.

History

1880: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Nyanza from the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Africa in Sudan
1883: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Victoria–Nyanza
April 10, 1929: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Mwanza
March 25, 1953: Promoted as Diocese of Mwanza
November 18, 1987: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mwanza
November 27, 2010: Territory lost to Roman Catholic Diocese of Bunda

The seat of the archbishop is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Epiphany in Mwanza.

Vicars Apostolic of Mwanza (Roman rite)
- Bishop Jean-Joseph Hirth, M. Afr. (1894.07.13 - 1912.12.12), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kivu
- Bishop Joseph Franciskus Marie Sweens, M. Afr. (1912.12.12 - 1928.11.12)
- Bishop Antoon Oomen, M. Afr. (1929.03.18 – 1950)
- Bishop Joseph Blomjous, M. Afr. (1950.06.25 – 1953.03.25 see below)
Bishops of Mwanza (Roman rite)
- Bishop Joseph Blomjous, M. Afr. (see above 1953.03.25 – 1965.10.15)
- Bishop Renatus Lwamosa Butibubage (1966.01.15 – 1987.11.18)
Metropolitan Archbishops of Mwanza (Roman rite)
- Archbishop Anthony Mayala (1987.11.18 - 2009.08.20)
- Archbishop Juda Thaddeus Ruwa'ichi, O.F.M.Cap. (2010.11.10 - 2018.06.21), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam
- Archbishop Renatus Leonard Nkwande (2019.02.11 - )

Michael George Mabuga Msonganzila, appointed Bishop of Musoma in 2007
Renatus Leonard Nkwande, appointed Bishop of Bunda in 2010; later returned here as Archbishop