Archbishop Ssemogerere rebukes cohabiters, urges strengthening and protection of family

WAKISO - Celebrations to mark the Kampala Archdiocese marriage and family day have been held at the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine, Namugongo in Wakiso district.

The Saturday (December 27) celebrations were marked with a call on the Catholic faithful to nurture strong families that will enhance the stability and prosperity of the Church and the country.

Delivering his homily during the Mass, Kampala Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere spoke highly of the family institution, describing it as the basic unit of society, without which the Church and the country cannot prosper, the reason why the family must be strengthened and protected from everything that threatens it.

“The family is the of the Church and the country. It is the first school; the first church where children are taught moral and religious values. We urge all of you parents to bring up your children well. We want to see good, morally balanced young people who will not become a problem to this country,” Ssemogerere said.

Cohabiters rebuked

The Prelate of Rubaga expressed concern over the increasing prevalence of illegitimate marriages and called on couples to take the commitment to Christian marriage without undue excuses.

“There are many spouses cohabiting without having their marriage blessed in church. When you talk to them, they give unconvincing excuses like lack of money. Some say they are still studying each other. Some ladies even demand that they first be given big gifts such as cars and land titles!

How can you say you are studying each other when you are already living together?! And why should you ask him to buy you a car or land when you have not bought it for yourself? Some ladies first want their husband to first pay bride price! This is even risky! It will tempt the young man to think that he bought you and is at liberty to treat you the way he wants,” Ssemogerere said.

The special guest of the event, lady Phionah Migadde, encouraged Christians spouses to be crating and hardworking, in order to have income. If the family is impoverished, she argued, the couple cannot be happy and their marriage is likely to break. 

Wakiso District Woman MP Betty Ethel Naluyima (right), her husband, Engineer Tadius Nsubuga (second right), and other Catholic couples during Mass. (Credit: Mathias Mazinga)

Migadde later donated shillings five million to facilitate the development projects of the marriage and family ministry of Kampala Archdiocese.

The head of the Catholic married women of Kampala Archdiocese, Lady Winnie Fernandes, said her department would work even harder to empower the Catholic married couples to better their spiritual, moral and material well-being.

The function was graced by hundreds of Catholic couples, among them, veteran politician/diplomat and academician Prof. Matia Ssemakula Kiwanuka and his wife Veronica Kiwanuka.

During the same function, Archbishop Ssemogerere wed 16 couples, which he also hosted to a banquet at the shrine, shortly after mass.

Exercise your voting rights

The Prelate of Lubaga did not conclude the function without talking about the 2026 General election. 

He encouraged Catholics and all Ugandans of goodwill to go and cast their vote come January 15.

He said it was the right and duty of every adult citizen to participate in the elections, which was why Ugandans had no alternative but to go and vote for their preferred candidate.