By Adonis Byemelwa
In a firm but composed statement, the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) has today, 2nd May, 2025, disowned a widely circulated document that claimed to be an official pastoral letter.
The document, which bore the dramatic title "WARAKA WA KICHUNGAJI KUSOMWA KATIKA PAROKIA ZOTE, VIGANGO, NA JUMUIYA NDOGONDOGO ZOTE NCHINI TANZANIA KWA WEEK 10 MFULULIZO", was shared across social media and messaging platforms, prompting confusion among the faithful and raising questions about its authenticity.
TEC made it clear: the letter did not originate from the bishops, nor was it sanctioned by any legitimate Catholic body. The content, they said, serves no spiritual or national interest and should be ignored entirely.
But beneath the surface of that public dismissal lies a deeper concern. For the Catholic bishops, this wasn’t just an administrative inconvenience; it was a painful reminder of how fragile public trust has become in the digital age.
Many bishops who have devoted their lives to ministry now find themselves navigating a world where their voices can be mimicked, their authority hijacked, and their intentions twisted by those with unknown motives.
One bishop, speaking with quiet frustration, noted that parishioners had begun asking priests about the letter, some even expressing fear or confusion.
The ripple effect of a few fabricated paragraphs typed behind closed doors was now being felt in homilies, catechism classes, and even confessionals.
It’s not the first time this has happened. Just a few years ago, a bizarre rumor began to circulate claiming the late President John Magufuli had been spotted alive and was preparing to return to office. No evidence surfaced.
No one was held accountable. Around the same period, anti-vaccine pamphlets emerged in the north of the country, alleging that COVID-19 vaccines contained chips meant to control minds—a conspiracy packaged with just enough religious language to seem credible to the unsuspecting.
Then came the so-called “prophecy letter” from unnamed pastors, suggesting divine punishment if a certain political outcome wasn’t achieved. Again, no arrests, no consequences—just confusion and unrest.
For the bishops, these incidents all echo the same troubling note: a growing willingness by some to weaponize belief. And while they are used to spiritual challenges, this new battlefield is less about doctrine and more about digital manipulation.
The fake pastoral letter, with its carefully chosen language and exaggerated instructions, attempted to borrow the Church’s authority to push an unknown agenda.
That intrusion is felt deeply. These are men who, through years of seminary, service, and silence, have cultivated trust in their communities. To have that trust abused in their name is not only offensive—it’s dangerous.
One senior member of TEC reflected candidly, saying that such false messages do more than misinform. They erode the very peace the Church works to maintain. They turn the pulpit into a place of anxiety rather than comfort.
And while the official statement called for people of goodwill to reject incitement and misinformation, the lived reality is far more personal. For many in the clergy, the fight against fake news is now part of their pastoral duty.
They’re no longer just preaching the gospel—they’re defending its voice in a crowded, chaotic information landscape.
This incident accentuates a wider crisis facing Tanzanian society: the slow normalization of fake news, often spread without consequence, and the struggle to preserve public trust in traditional institutions.
There are cybercrime laws on paper, but enforcement is inconsistent. Meanwhile, the public is left to sift through misinformation without adequate tools or guidance.
As TEC called on all Tanzanians to remain vigilant and grounded in truth, the message resonated not only as a call to faith, but as a plea for collective responsibility.
In a time when a message can go viral before it’s verified, truth itself is on trial. And for the Church—an institution built on centuries of careful teaching and moral authority—the stakes couldn’t be higher.