The tittle of the thesis reads; Youth ministry focused on the culture: In the context of the

Catholic Diocese of Singida in Tanzania.

The choice of the theme on culture of life, was motivated by my pastoral experience as
youth director, where by providing seminars on pro-life to the youth in secondary schools,
universities and to those out of schools, I found that they seem to lack the knowledge on the
value, dignity, sanctity and inviolability of human life or otherwise there is an apparent
corruption of values on human life by modern and/or by post -modern trends and they seemed to
know much on the problems related to culture of death such as contraceptives and abortion
where some complained of their effects. The permission of the law for enactment of death
penalty by the Tanzanian constitution, the occurrence of extrajudicial killings, mob violence,
killings and attacks related to witchcraft practices, brutal attack and killing of people with
albinism, the phenomena of human trafficking, prostitution and drug abuse, all these make part
of the motivation.
These motivations were reinforced by the seminario di studio on human rights, religion
and education organized by the Institute of Pastoral theology. To accomplish this work I went
back to the diocesan pastoral strategic plan which is focused on integral development of human
person without discrimination as it is determined to reach out all people of God, whether near or
far, the rich and the poor, the suffering, the vulnerable and the lonely, through pastoral care,
spiritual teaching and accompaniment and capacity building training. Considering the idea of
missionary synodality, I included the Tanzania youth development policy to see how to create a
collaborative youth ministry taking into consideration that culture of life is a multidisciplinary
theme. Therefore, the general objective of this work is to promote the culture of among the
young people. However, the work does not deal with the problems related to culture of life into
details but rather focused on helping young people know the value, dignity, sanctity and
inviolability of human life.
The methodology used is that of practical theology in its three moments; empirical,
critical and projective. Following this methodology, the thesis is then divided into three chapters
where by chapter one is dedicated on the status of culture of life in Tanzania in relation to youth
apostolate in Singida diocese, chapter two on the culture of life in African and Christian
perspectives and chapter three on the rethinking of the youth ministry focused on culture life.
 Chapter one is divided into two parts. The first part exposes the actual situation of the
culture of life in Tanzania, showing the attitude of the Tanzanian government and the church
towards the youth, their organizations and apostolate through liturgical animation and
evangelization through sports, and their participation in social activities especially through
voluntary and charitable works for the care of the weakest especially the elders and the disabled.
The second part describes the factors affecting negatively youth apostolate in Singida
Diocese such as economic, political, socio-cultural factors such as traditional African culture and
youth modern culture, poor education and training system, mass media, religious and pastoral
and how they contribute engagement of the youth in drug abuse, prostitution, contraceptives,
teenage pregnancies and abortion, human trafficking, witch craft and syncretism. Then it
describes the global threats of human life such as Secularism and its consequences such as the
denial of God and the loss of the sense of sin, moral relativism, practical materialism and
consumerism, the shortcomings of liberal democracy, the perverse idea of freedom and the
culture of death which causes the loss of many innocent lives.
The inclusion of the Tanzanian national youth development policy in this chapter is to see
how the church can collaborate with the government and NGOs for the development of the youth
who are the greatest asset for the present and future development and they represent the driving
force behind social, economic and political reforms in the sphere of rapid global changes.
However, we have seen that the youth are sometimes discouraged in their apostolate by
their leaders and directors due to their unpreparedness and incapability to respond to the new
challenges of young people’s life.
Chapter two analyses the culture of life from African and Christian perspectives. The
African perspective shows that for Africans have a deep feeling on human life that has a
rhythm of nature which goes beyond physical realities expressed in patterns of generative,
functional and relational within themselves, with material world and the spiritual world and
nothing can destroy it. This rhythm is expressed by the term ntu which is the metaphysical
power or force of life, which is unlimited and inaccessible to sciences in four categories namely;
muntu (human being), kintu (a thing) hantu (place and time) and kuntu (modality). The ntu for
muntu extends from the unborn, the born and the departed. This fact is attested to by Pope
emeritus Benedict XVI in Africae Munus that; In the African worldview, life is perceived as
something that embraces and includes ancestors, the living and those yet to be born, the whole
of creation and all beings: those that speak and those that are mute, those that think and those
lacking thought. The visible and invisible universe is regarded as a living-space for human
beings, but also as a space of communion where past generations invisibly flank present
generations, themselves the mothers of future generations. This great openness of heart and
spirit in the African tradition predisposes you, dear brothers and sisters, to hear and to receive
Christ’s message, to appreciate the mystery of the Church, and thus to value human life to the
fullness, along with the conditions in which it is lived. (A.M n. 69).
Therefore, any violation of life-giving acts related to sexual offences such as rape,
homosexual relations, sex with animals or with close relatives, contraceptives, abortion and
others related acts are evil as they lack muntu (humanness). If committed they are punishable
and cleansing has to take place to prevent misfortunes and punishments from the ancestors who
are the custodians of social moral norms. Again, complications related to pregnancy and child
bearing such as delays of delivery, miscarriage, still-birth, abnormal child, or death of a child,
indicate misfortune due to violation of sexual moral norms which calls for special rites of
purification are to be carried out to drive away that evil spirit in the society and keep in order the
rhythm of life.
From Christian perspectives, the Catholic Church teaches on the sanctity, dignity, and
inviolability of human life following the Sacred Scripture, Church’s tradition and Magisterium as
her fonts valid for all time. From philosophical point of view the church teaches that human life
is transcendent, due to the presence of spiritual and immortal soul united substantially with the
body. The transcendent character is independent of physical and mental perfection of a person. It
is present to the unborn and the born, the health and the sick even those in comatose or in the
persistent vegetative state, to mentally fit as to mentally disabled persons. It is equal to all.
The presence of the spiritual and immortal soul in the substantial bod-soul unity in human
person is the foundation of theological teaching on the dignity, sanctity, and inviolability of
human life. The dignity of human life is founded on the teaching that all human beings are
persons created in the image and likeness of God (Gn. 1:26-27) consisting of the immortal soul,
intelligence and free will, which enables every individual human person to know, love and serve
God. Again, Human life is sacred because it is set apart for God Himself the Creator, who wills
to live with him eternally in heaven. This truth is revealed trough Incarnation and Paschal
mysteries in Jesus Christ.
 The sanctity of human life has both negative and positive implications for human action.
Negatively, it prohibits any form of attack of human life thus making it inviolable, not to be
transgressed, dishonoured nor violated by any means as the fathers of the Vatican II Council
affirm; All offenses against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia and wilful
suicide; all violations of the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, physical and
mental torture, undue psychological pressures; all offenses against human dignity, such as
subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the
selling of women and children, degrading working conditions where men are treated as mere
tools for profit rather than free and responsible persons: all these and the like are criminal: they
poison civilization; and they debase the perpetrators more than the victims and militate against
the honour of the Creator (GS. 27). These condemnations are relevant in all times as Pope John
Paul II writes in Evangelium Vitae that “this doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man,
in the light of reason, finds in his own heart is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the
Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium,” is valid in all
time (EV. 57).
The positive implication of the sanctity of human life, gives the moral obligation to take
care of human life. This obligation extends from bodily or biological life as fundamental human
value to the psychic, spiritual and social well-being. Everyone has the moral responsibility to
care the bodily life by providing it with food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care and the
necessary social services but not for the price of the spiritual life which is the supreme of all. For
the realization of the positive implication of the sanctity of human life, the chapter gives the
reason for existence of the social doctrine of the church that is for the care and protection of
human life by setting such principles as on subsidiarity, the common good, the universal
destination of goods, solidarity, the preferential option for the poor and social justice.
Chapter three gives perspectives to be focused, proposes strategies for enriching, places
and lines of action for the betterment of programs and policies already in place and help the
church to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders to put in place mechanisms
and strategies that can accommodate young people in all aspects of life by formulating and
planning a non-political and non-discriminatory youth policy that value human life for youth
development.
 The basic perspective is that human life be the centre of youth ministry by making sure
that the church teachings and Africans tenets on the value of human life as that of ubuntuism- “I
am because we are,” and of social justice, peace and charity should make part of youth education
and holistic integral youth development where by the sanctity of human life can be expressed in
all aspects of life such as economic, cultural, artistic, social, political and religious. This requires
collaboration with the government and NGOs to plan, organize and find ways which can help the
young people be productive for the development of human life.
The suggested strategies for enriching culture of life are; Announcing to young people
the Gospel message of life and hope, the great message of Pope Francis in Christus Vivit that for
young people to love life they should know that; God loves them; Christ is their Saviour, died for
them and He is living for them. Promoting and strengthening traditional family life, to
counteract the effect of educational crisis in the field of affectivity and sexuality proposed by the
gender theory which destabilizes the family by propagating separations, divorces, second unions
and single parent families which cause great damage to the family; the sanctuary of life and vital
cell of the society and the church, (Benedict. XVI AM n. 42) and “the foundation on which the
social edifice is built (JPII, EA, n. 80).
Ongoing youth formation targeted on the growth and development of a young people
integrally should include liturgical formation which is to celebrated and lived by serving others,
as liturgy is a singular “educational paradigm, collaborative, dialogical and relation act.
Vocational formation to help them respond to a universal call to holiness and to the choice of
one’s specific way of life through which he /she can arrive to the universal call, the call that
gives human life its supernatural destiny and meaning; spiritual formation to help young people
grow maturely, recognize God’s love for them and be capable to discern and choose their
vocation according to God’s plan and live it fully in their context; and leadership formation to
help them be good leaders who can carry out their duties competently and efficiently and thus
contribute to the fulfilment of the Church’s vision and mission using their professional skills.
To help young people choose the culture of life in plurality of values requires places and
lines of actions that involves discernment, dialogue, listening, solidarity, collaboration, self-
sacrifice, and a solid character. Sports, voluntary works, pilgrimage, youth days and Social
media can be good places and lines of action as they involve elements that can make a person
feel the sense and value of life. For example, Sports require joint effort, good teamwork,
cooperation, coordination and accountability of everyone for positive achievement, these can
provide opportunities for building personalities and good human characters such as solidarity,
self-sacrifice, humility, patience, managing time and organizing skills such as communication,
organization, problem solving and rightful behaviour. Sports team is composed of coaches,
managers, doctors, staffs, sponsors, and supporters. So, youth ministry should be a team work of
priests, sisters, animators, catechists, lay leaders, parents, civil society, and ecclesial society.
Voluntary works follow the rule self-donation in terms of time, energy, ideas, and prayers for
the welfare of others in the community. Its goal is the progressive change of society and a deeper
humanization. Pilgrimage as a journey, makes people leave their homes, families, interests,
comforts, problems, noises and walk with Jesus in silence to find the meaning and destiny of
their life. Through various sacrifices such as hunger, pain, exhaustion, fatigue which involve
self-denial to obtain the ultimate goal; sanctification as a “universal quest for the self” the youth
can be sensible to values of human life. Youth days are a journey to a holy place and that holy
place is a gathering of the youth as people of God called together to celebrate their faith, learning
together, pray together, explore questions on life together, suffer through physical fatigue
together, laugh and cry together and spend time together. All these gives them the meaning of
culture of life.
I conclude with one place not to be ignore, the reality of mass media which makes us
continuously present everywhere in all time. Regardless of all their negative effects, yet they are
useful. They are places of meeting always and everywhere. The diocese needs to organize good
ways of meeting with young and announce to the great message of life and hope and not to
upload her contents and make the mass media as the ends in themselves and forget the purpose
of evangelization.
Finally, the words of the Apostle Paul become still more relevant to us today, given the
many people on that continent of Africa and even in Europe are yet to encounter Christ
personally, in any clear and conscious way: “… But how are they to call upon him in whom they
have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And
how are they to hear without a preacher?” 1 So, then, let us ask ourselves, “If I don’t do this
mission, who else will do it? If I don’t do this, what else can I do better than this in my life? And
if I don’t do it now, when am I going to do it?” Certainly, evangelization of the young people
focused on the culture of life is our urgent duty as the universal church in the globalized modern
world of science and technology.

1
Romans 10: 13 -14.