Archbishop Lwanga apologizes on Church''s behalf

By Juliet Lukwago

The Archbishop of Kampala, Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has said that if negative reports that appear in the media against Catholic priests are true, then he apologizes on behalf of the Church in Uganda.

“The negative reports we read in the press about some Catholic priests in the country are very alarming. But if they are true and not malicious to the Catholic Church, I, as one of the leaders of the Catholic Church in Uganda, I am sincerely sorry.”

Lwanga said the Church is carrying out its own investigations into such reports.

But he did not rule out the likelihood of deliberate malice from some individuals against the Catholic Church.

He revealed that investigations have shown that some malicious people concoct ‘dirty stories’ to bring down the Church and individual priests.

“If it is properly established that a certain priest is guilty of the accusation, he is excommunicated and eventually deflocked,” he warned.

Lwanga was ordaining 12 priests and installing 12 deacons on Saturday at St Mary’s Cathedral, Lubaga.

He explained that when an individual priest goes astray and commits a sin, it does not mean that he has committed it on behalf of the Pope or the other leaders of the Church, and that instead ‘does it as an individual person in his personal capacity’.

Lwanga’s call on people with ill-intentions and malicious propaganda against the Catholic Church is to desist from the vice, saying that ‘such spirit is very bad and offends God’.

In his homily, the Archbishop cautioned the newly ordained priests and the deacons to be extra careful about the people in their locality.

As the new priests strive to understand their followers better, Lwanga cautioned them to keep a distance from those they detect with bad intentions towards them.

Still, the Kampala diocese head urged them to love and help their flock and serve them indiscriminately as people of God.

He reminded them of the hard struggle they have passed through to attain priesthood, so they should strive hard to keep and maintain their dignity.

The prelate also lamented on the daily gruesome murders of people in the country and asked the police to come out and tell the country who kills.

On behalf of the newly ordained priests, Rev. Fr. Godfrey Kato Ssemwogerere, on behalf of the others thanked the church leaders and their trainers for the good work and knowledge imparted to them.

He promised to do all that is in their power to fulfill their vows.