Religious leaders cry out for unity, equity, development

Religious leaders have issued their Christmas message, guiding their Christian followers on how to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Savior. Mathias Mazinga transcribed some of the messages. Below are the excerpts.

Rt. Rev. Rev. Prof. Joseph Antony Zziwa (Chairperson of the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), also Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Catholic Diocese)

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, and all people of goodwill. On behalf of my Co-Chairpersons, His Grace, the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, Metropolitan Jeronymos Muzeeyi and on my own behalf, I convey special greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and Prince of Peace!

Christmas is a season of rebirth and renewal of our relationship with God and with one another.

On this day we remember the special love of God brought closer to us through the mystery of incarnation. It is a time to thank God for his saving grace and the opportunities which have come to us through the life, ministry and teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are thus invited to hear his voice and be the light and salt of the world. (Mt 5:13-16). We have the duty to live the gospel, not as some abstract concept, but as a transforming reality for us, our neighbours and society as a whole (Rm 13:8).

The love of God obliges us to work towards a world befitting the human person. We know on the contrary, that the world is bereft of the logic of God. It lacks true wisdom, care and respect for one another, peace, justice and equality. (1 Peter 4:1-10). 

In order to achieve this in our country Uganda, we must cooperate to address the following issues, among others, that undermine our ability to enjoy life in its fullness as children of God (Jn10:10).

We strongly condemn all acts of abductions and attacks on Police Posts. We express our deepest condolences to the families who lost their dear ones.

We thank the President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the guidance in fighting against Ebola and Covid-19. We encourage the people of Uganda to continue observing the various directives and guidelines put in place by the government and to seek vaccination. We appeal to the government of Uganda to put up more structures to prepare for any eventualities.

 We appreciate the Government's effort to end HIV/AIDS by the year 2030 and we appeal to the people of Uganda to avoid all ways that lead to the spread of the disease.

We call upon all Ugandans especially those entrusted with public offices to desist from corruption. Let us put God first in everything we do and show a good example to the youth and generations to come.

People have destroyed swamps, cut down forests, made the water dirty by throwing in polythene bags and plastic bottles. Let's preserve nature.

We call upon all Ugandans and most especially our family members to practice love, forgiveness, tolerance and reconciliation in order to avoid gender-based violence.

We are aware of the poverty situation in our homes and the country. May you please embrace the government programs which are aiming at eradicating poverty. May you get rid of corruption that stagnates development. May you be faithful leaders in charge of development programs.

The UJCC fraternity continues to appeal for the observance of human rights for all citizens and good governance in all its forms such as the rule of law, equality of all citizens before the law, liberty of the individual, freedoms including the right to form and join political parties and trade unions in conformity with the constitution, equality of opportunities for all, and right of the individual to participate in free, credible and democratic political processes and periodic elections. 

We condemn all extra-judicial arrests and killings.

As UJCC, we are committed to working with the government in addressing the many challenges bedeviling our country through our structures.

We appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, to maintain peace during the Christmas season. Avoid as much as possible shedding the blood of innocent people. Motorists and truck drivers, please avoid speeding and reckless driving which is the root cause of accidents. 

Respect all road users for the safety of everyone.

We wish you a merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year 2023.

Metropolitan Jeronymos Muzeeyi (Archbishop of the Uganda Orthodox Church)

We believe in the Trinity, one God in three persons. Jesus Christ, who has been born to us, is the second person of the Trinity. The Trinity symbolizes love and unity.

Metropolitan Jeronymos Muzeeyi, the Archbishop of the Orthodox Church. Photos by Mathias Mazinga

We Christians are obliged to emulate the oneness of the Trinity. If we live in love and unity like the Trinity, we shall be able to overcome all our challenges. We shall then live as glorified and transformed Christians.

His Eminence Dr. Joseph Sserwadda, (Presiding Apostle, Born Again Faith)

 Christmas: A Cradle, a Cross and a Crown for Christ!

 Jesus, who the shepherds found in a cradle, little and small, has inspired the Educational systems, Social Reforms, Politics, Arts, Medicine, Research, Science, Environmentalism, Human Rights, Modern Justice, Psychology, the correct status of Women and all other teachings. Jesus is the cradle of knowledge, understanding, and the seat of God’s Wisdom! 

Apostle Dr. Joseph Sserwadda

The central message of Christmas is that Jesus Christ saves us through His death and resurrection which act He extended to both individuals and society.

At the cross, He wore a crown of thorns. But when He comes again it will be as the Commander-in-Chief of the armies in Heaven. He will take control of this war-weary world and bring the permanent peace we strive for and long for. 

A new world will be formed. A new social order will emerge… This is God’s gift of Christmas. The cradle – His Son. The cross – His life. The crown – His coming Kingdom. But… a gift, to be complete, must be received! Accept Him today!”

The Most. Rev. Paul Ssemogerere (Catholic Archbishop of Kampala)

In his Christmas message of the year 2022, the Holy Father Pope Francis went on to stress that “the beauty of Christmas shines through in the sharing of small gestures of concrete love. 

The Most. Rev. Paul Ssemogerere

The Word became flesh in order to dialogue with us. God does not desire to carry on a monologue but a dialogue. For God himself; Father, Son and Holy Spirit is dialogue, an eternal and infinite communion of love and life. I request those in political, religious and cultural leadership to work for peace, justice and togetherness Let's support all those who provide humanitarian aid to the needy, especially the refugees, children, the sick and the aged. 

In celebrating the joy and peace of Christmas, let’s remember to comfort the victims of violence against women, which has recently increased in time of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

I request all Ugandans, especially young people, to work hard. I also urge you fellow Ugandans to observe the guidelines that the government put in place to stop the spread of deadly diseases including Covid-19 and Ebola.

Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu (Archbishop of the Church of the Province of Uganda)

Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6).

If you want the answers to your challenges, look to him. During the last couple of years, we have had various challenges, in particular deadly diseases such as Covid-19 and Ebola. Many people lost their loved ones. We have also had economic challenges.

Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu

Our brothers in the districts of Mubende and Kassanda have been under lockdown, which we are grateful to God has now been lifted. But it is also a pity that upon receiving the good news, many of them celebrated irresponsibly, and slept in bars. Others got into accidents.

We thank the medical people and the community leaders who worked hard to save the lives of Ugandans during the Covid-19 and Ebola outbreaks. We also thank the teachers who worked hard to enable the students to complete the syllabus. 

Let’s continue to respect the health guidelines that the government issued to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and Ebola, of course not forgetting that diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria are also still with us.

Parents, keep watch over the children. There are people who are trying to lure them into sexual perversion. Government should put there a system where the suspected perpetrators can easily be reported. Parents, teachers, please pay attention to the boy-child. We want to raise a generation of boys who respect women. 

Celebrate Christmas responsibly. Don’t eat as if you have never eaten. There will be another Christmas. Also, don’t overspend. Reserve money for the children who are going back to school in just a couple of weeks.

On behalf of the Church of Uganda, I extend my greetings to His Excellency the President, government leaders, our brethren the Catholic, the Orthodox, the Pentecostals and all Ugandans. A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

The Rt. Rev. Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira (Bishop of Namirembe Diocese)

Fellow Ugandans, I greet you in the mighty name of our Lord.

The message of Christmas is a message of God’s love for fallen humanity. When Jesus is born in our hearts, I have no doubt that our love for God and fellow men will be rekindled. We will honor our God given creation, work for peace and justice and also work towards a fair distribution of resources entrusted to us as a nation. 

The Rt. Rev. Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira

It is my prayer that as we celebrate this Christmas let us pause and reflect on the need for Jesus to be born in our hearts. 

I wish His Excellency the President and the first family, Ssaabasajja Kabaka of Buganda and other cultural leaders in this country, the Archbishop and Bishops and all of you people of God, a Merry Christmas and a peaceful festive season.

Let me end with an invitation to you all to come and be part of the crossover nighttime of prayers and thanksgiving for the completion of 2022 and as we receive the blessing of 2023