Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo

Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo (1951 – 28 March 2014) was an Anglican bishop and the fifth bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Central Tanganyika.

Mhogolo studied theology in Kongwa in Tanzania and at Ripley College in Melbourne, Australia (1976-1981). Mhogolo was ordained a bishop in 1989 for the Anglican Diocese of Central Tanganyika, in Tanzania. He died in Johannesburg, South Africa from a severe lung infection.^[1][2] Anne Makinda, speaker of the Tanzanian National Assembly, "said the late Bishop Mhogolo was the friend of everyone and that his death was a big shock."^[3]

Views on homsexuality

Mhogolo was a moderate on the issue of homosexuality compared to many African Anglicans who strongly condemned homosexuality or even denied its existence in Africa; he sought to avoid a schism in the church over the issue.^[4] In 2007 he wrote that homosexuality as an issue "is not fundamental to the Christian faith, although many try to make it that way".^[5] He also wrote on "Human Sexuality in the Anglican Communion" for the Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion (2013).

Publications

He has written a number of books, mainly in Swahili, including:

• Endelea kukua maadili ya kikristo, Central Tanganyika Press, 1985
• Utawala Bora, 2004
• Ibada, 2012

Notes

1. Tanzania: Anglican Church of Tanzania Mourns the Passing of Senior Bishop
2. Bishop Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo (1951-2014)
3. "CA asked to come up with Katiba of people’s desire". Daily News (Tanzania). 6 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
4. "Bishops and Homosexuality". Tanzanian Affairs. September 1, 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
5. Ashworth, Pat (1 Feb 2007). "Gay question is ‘not central to faith’ says Tanzanian bishop". Church Times. Retrieved 28 April 2014.