Ugandan Catholic Bishops gear up for AMECEA assembly in Nairobi
According to the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference, Msgr John Baptist Kauta, the assembly will specifically reflect on how to uplift young people, make them feel welcome in the Church, and draw on their talents.
Some of the Catholic Bishops with the Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi (middle) in a photo group at Catholic Secretariat Nsambya on Monday, June 5, 2023 (Photos by Juliet Anna Lukwago)
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Ugandan Catholic bishops are set to join other bishops from across Eastern Africa under the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) in Nairobi, Kenya, for an assembly to refelct, dialogue and carry out pastoral discernment.
According to the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference, Msgr John Baptist Kauta, the assembly will specifically reflect on how to uplift young people, make them feel welcome in the Church, and draw on their talents.
He said Ugandan Catholic Bishops will join other clerics and delegates from across Eastern Africa for the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly, scheduled for July 18–27 at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi.
The Ugandan team will be led by the chairperson of the Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana, Dr Joseph Anthony Zziwa.
“This year’s plenary Assembly will centre on how the Church can accompany young people under the theme; AMECEA’s Synodal Journey with young people, Building Bridges of Communion, Hope, Justice, and Good Governance. The delegates will, therefore, reflect on how to uplift young people, make them feel welcome in the Church, and draw on their talents,” Kauta explained.
Kauta noted that the sessions will be hosted at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, with the opening Mass. The official proceedings will take place from July 19 to July 26, culminating in a closing Eucharistic celebration.
Msgr Kauta noted that the gathering will also bring together bishops and delegates from across the region for prayer, reflection, dialogue, and pastoral discernment. He said AMECEA was established in 1961 in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, and it reflects the Church’s call to collegiality among bishops and to a more contextualised and missionary approach to evangelisation.
The Ugandan team will be led by the chairperson of the Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana, Dr Joseph Anthony Zziwa.
"The bishops of the region come together to form a platform capable of addressing shared pastoral challenges while deepening unity across nations. Since its inception, the plenary assembly has been held approximately every four years, rotating among member countries. It brings together bishops, clergy, religious, and lay representatives to reflect on the “signs of the times” and to discern a common pastoral direction,” Kauta explained.
The Bishop of Lira Diocese, Sanctus Lino Wanok, said Uganda hosted the AMECEA Plenary Assembly once, the 15th AMECEA Plenary Assembly in June 2005, at Colline Hotel in Mukono. It was held under the theme 'Responding to the Challenges of HIV/AIDS in the AMECEA Region, members as caregivers, counsellors'.
Bishop Wanok added that members also reach out to refugees, internally displaced persons, people traumatised by civil war, violence and tribalism, ethnicity, street children, sick people, bereaved people and other needy people.
About AMECEA
AMECEA was the brainchild of the Catholic Bishops of Tanganyika (today’s Tanzania) during the 6th AMECEA Plenary Assembly held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1976. The Plenary Assembly of the association is the highest decision-making organ of the regional ecclesial body. It is convened periodically to foster discernment, strengthen communion, and renew the Church’s mission across Eastern Africa.