Cardinal Wamala elected Pope while supporting term limits

By Muwonge C W Magembe, Researcher 

OUR HISTORY

Today, we look at what political figures said when a Catholic priest commented on term limits of political office.

On February 11, 1929, Vatican City became an independent state from Italy during the papacy of Pius XI. He was, therefore, the first pope to serve as head of state of the Vatican City state. 

During Pius XI’s papacy, Emmanuel Wamala (now a cardinal) was born on December 15, 1926. 

He was educated at Kalisizo Primary School, Bukalasa Minor Seminary, Katigondo Major Seminary and Pontifical University in Rome. 

Later on August 15, 1957, during the papacy of Pius XII, his secretary of the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith, Archbishop Pietro Sigismondi, ordained Wamala as a deacon. 

The same archbishop ordained Wamala as a priest at the chapel of the Pontifical College of Urbaniano in Rome on December 21, 1957.

Becoming Archbishop 

Upon returning from Rome, Wamala enrolled at Makerere College (now Makerere University) for further studies. In 1968, he became the first African Ugandan to serve as the Makerere chaplain. 

He succeeded Fr John Maguire, a Scottish priest who had been chaplain since October 1961. Maguire had replaced Fr Paul Foster. At the time, Wamala was serving as a lecturer at Makerere.

Some of his prominent students included the late Dr Pelligrino Kibuuka, who was the headmaster of Namilyango College and St Peter’s Nsambya in Kampala. 

In 1974, Fr David Kiyingi succeeded Wamala as the chaplain of Makerere. This followed the appointment of Wamala as the vicar general of Masaka Diocese.
 
The appointment was made by the bishop of Masaka, Dr Adrian Ddungu, on February 5, 1974. Wamala commenced office work on February 15. 

The powers and duties of the vicar general are stipulated by Code of Canon 479 § 1: “By virtue of his office, the vicar general has the same executive power throughout the whole diocese as that which belongs by law to the diocesan bishop: that is, he can perform all administrative acts, with the exception, however, of those which the bishop has reserved to himself, or which by law require a special mandate of the bishop.” 

In 1978, when Wamala was still serving as the vicar general of Masaka, John Paul II was elected pope. He, then, created the diocese of Kiyinda-Mityana on July 17, 1981. 

As a result, he appointed Wamala as the pioneer bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana. After seven years as the bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana, Wamala was appointed as the coadjutor archbishop of Kampala by Pope John Paul II on June 21, 1988. 

The then-substantive archbishop of Kampala, Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga, was battling cancer. According to the church law, the coadjutor has the right of succession. 

Indeed, Wamala succeeded Nsubuga as the archbishop of Kampala on February 8, 1990.

Muwonge C W Magembe, Researcher

Eelective Pope 

Four years after becoming the archbishop of Kampala, Wamala was appointed to the rank of cardinal by Pope John Paul II on November 26, 1994. 

He became a cardinal when he was 67 years old. Being a cardinal, Wamala was an adviser to the pope. And since he was still below the age of 80, he was a cardinal elector. 

A cardinal elector is a cardinal obliged to participate in the assembly of cardinals (conclave) to elect a new pope. 

Indeed, Wamala participated in the April 18-19, 2005, conclave which elected Pope Benedict XVI, who succeeded Pope John Paul II.

Term limits advocate 

Before Wamala participated in the election of the new pope in 2005, there were some political incidents in Uganda. 

The justice and constitutional affairs minister, Mayanja Nkangi, named a Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), headed by Prof. Frederick Ssempebwa on February 7, 2001. 

Its main term of reference was to examine the consistency and compatibility of the constitutional provisions relating to the sovereignty of the people, political systems, democracy and good governance. 

The CRC comprised Dr Joseph Byamugisha (deputy chairperson), Prof. Semakula Kiwanuka, Richard Todwong, Ateker Ejalu, Prof. Foster Byarugaba, Prof. Asavia Wandira, Zam Zam Nagujja Kasujja, Benedict Mutyaba, Yusuf Kagumire, Christine Kania, Sam Owor, Justin Olwedo Okot, Algresia Akwi, Idi Osman Rizgala, Dr Higiro Semajege (secretary), John Mary Mugisha (lead counsel), Sarah Timarwa (deputy secretary) and Angela Kiryabwire (deputy to lead counsel). 

On September 23, 2003, the vice-president, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, presented to the CRC cabinet proposals, seeking to amend 88 articles of the Constitution, five schedules, a national objective and create four new articles. 

The most controversial of the cabinet proposals was the call to scrap presidential term limits enshrined in Article 105 (2) of the 1995 Constitution. 

Article 105 (2) stipulated: “A person shall not be elected under this Constitution to hold office as president for more than two terms.” 

Bukenya presented cabinet proposals to the CRC at the time Cardinal Wamala and nine bishops from Uganda were in the Vatican for a meeting with Pope John Paul II. 

Indeed, they met the pope on September 15, a day after he had returned from a four-day pastoral visit to Slovakia. Upon returning to Uganda after meeting the pope, Cardinal Wamala held a press briefing at his residence in Rubaga on September 25, 2003 and voiced his opposition to the cabinet proposal aimed at scrapping presidential term limits from the Constitution. 

He warned that if term limits were scrapped, it would breed dictatorship in Uganda. 

He added: “Including such a proposal (of scrapping term limits) in the Constitution is very dangerous because it stifles leadership and breeds dictators. 

If the country fought dictators like Idi Amin, how can we support such a proposal? Maybe other Ugandans are comfortable with it. As Wamala, I will never support such a proposal.” 

Among the many politicians who welcomed Cardinal Wamala’s view was former presidential candidate Dr Kibirige Mayanja, who headed Justice Forum alias JEEMA. 

He visited the cardinal and thanked him. “Your stand in defence of this critical mechanism for checking and controlling dictatorship in our country came at the most opportune moment. 

It is a good example of what the role of religious leaders should be in nation-building,” Kibirige said. 

The cardinal told Kibirige and other Ugandans: “I think this country has many good leaders, so if you do not limit the presidential term, you deprive others of the chance to lead.” 

“I just say what is good for our faith. I am not a politician and do not intend to join politics. I am just a Ugandan who loves his country and speaks what is good for it. Those who think like me should take my word, and those who do not should leave it.”

Government reacts 

The Government reacted to the cardinal’s comments. The attorney general, Francis Ayume, politely said the cardinal had a right to express his views. 

The minister of state for industry, Jennifer Namuyangu, asked the cardinal to refrain from meddling in politics and instead mind the Church’s offertory and morals of the laity. 

Later, she regretted her comments and apologised to the cardinal during a press conference at the Parliament building. 

She said: “I regret the embarrassment caused and I honestly apologise to Cardinal Wamala.” 

The hardest-hitting reaction came from government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo. In an interview with the print media, he said: 

“Hypocrites in church called priests have always put crowns on thieves called kings. Now that they have chosen to come to the political arena directly, they shall find us there. 

“They (the cardinal and bishops) are not talking for the Church because the only doctrine they follow and for which they speak is the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible is it written that there shall be term limits or no terms for political leaders. If they come out and we defeat them, they will have no moral ground to speak on political matters again.”

Term limits scrapped 

After such heated debate, on July 11, 2005, 220 MPS approved the Constitution (Amendment) (No.3) Bill, 2005, scrapping presidential term limits. Fifty-three MPs voted against it. 

The amended clause stipulates: “A person may be elected under this Constitution to hold office as president for one or more terms.” 

Parliament then forwarded the Bill to President Yoweri Museveni for assent. Indeed, a pleased Museveni assented to it on September 26.

The writer/researcher, Muwonge, wrote a book, President Idi Amin: A narrative of his rule (1971- 1979). It costs sh100,000 at Uganda Bookshop, Kampala.