Catholic lawyers warn Mukajanja over impersonation

Mar 26, 2016

The lawyers demand that Mukajanga desists from preaching and ministering, unless he gets express permission from Archbishop of Kampala, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga.

Lawyers under the fraternity group Uganda Catholic Lawyers' Society (UCLS) have warned Catholic Church pariah John Bosco Mukajanga, and vowed to prosecute him for impersonation.

The lawyers made the vow on Friday at a press conference convened at Pope Paul VI Memorial Hotel in the city suburb of Rubaga. 

The lawyers have demanded that Mukajanga desists from preaching and ministering, unless he gets express permission from Archbishop of Kampala, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga.

"We shall prosecute Mukajanga in criminal courts if he does not stop his antics. His followers will also be prosecuted for aiding and abetting the crime because what he (Mukajanga) is doing is illegal," said Jude Mbabaali, the UCLS chairman.

Mukajanga conducts prayers with Msgr. Expedito Magembe at Mt. Zion Bukalango prayer center located off Hoima road in Wakiso district.

He has another ministry called JB Mukajanga Fire ministries where he holds lunch hour prayers every week at Jjemba Plaza building located at Luwum Street and he also takes people to Israel for Pilgrimage.

Under the new Catholic Church guidelines, prayers are supposed to be conducted by an ordained priest or deacon and not by anyone else. Places or centers for charismatic worship must also get the approval of the Bishop, before they can be used.

Mbabaali also threatened to petition the leaders of the Catholic Church to prevent Mukajanga from receiving Sacraments. The seven sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the sick.

About a fortnight ago, Archbishop Lwanga, in a letter to Mukajanga, prohibited him from preaching, healing, and any other related ministry activities.

He was also instructed to stop anointing, laying of hands and imparting blessings on people in the jurisdiction of any dioceses until permission is sought and granted by the competent ordinary as prescribed by the Universal Catholic Church Law. Lwanga said contrary to this would be a violation of an ecclesiastical office.  

"To date you have been engaged in some form of preaching, healing and other relative aspects to the catholic faithful without permission (missione Canonico)" stated a letter signed by Lwanga dated March 8, 2016.

Lwanga noted that it is a pastoral obligation of the ordinary to oversee faith and order in his diocese. He adds that universal church law permits lay (non-ordained) Christ's faithful to preach when it appears pastorally useful in an ad hoc or unusual situation to the catholic faithful but done with express permission given by the bishop as in the case of officially appointed Catechist and religious leaders. 

It was reported that last year, Archbishop Lwanga still stopped Mukajanga from conducting prayers at Kampala arcades without his permission.

Lawyer Fredrick Ssemwanga stressed that Mukajanga had committed offences of preaching without authority, impersonation, insubordination and receiving money by false pretences, all contrary to the Penal Code Act (PCA).

Citing Article 118 of the PCA, Ssemwanga noted that any person, who destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship or any object which is held sacred by any class of persons (Catholics) with the intention of insulting the religion of any class of persons commits a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year.

Ssemwanga said Mukajanga receives money from followers by false pretence by selling Olive oil at 50, 000 per bottle under the disguise that it is blessed yet he has no powers to bless it. He added that Mukajanga calls himself brother yet he was not trained and ordained by the Catholic Church.

Previously, Mukajanga had a programme in Bukedde Television every Saturday and Delta Television every Friday which has all been halted.

 

 

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