Why are religious leaders rejected?

A section of the Anglican laity of Masindi has denounced the Rev. Canon Stanley Ntagali, the bishop-elect for the newly created Masindi Diocese.

John Majara, the Masindi district chairman, was recently quoted in the media as saying the local leadership in Masindi would not work with Ntagali. Majara was echoing Ernest Kiiza’s earlier statement rejecting the bishop-elect. Kiiza is the Speaker of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom. In what may look like a disturbing trend, the rejection of bishop-elect Ntagali follows that of bishop-elect David Sebuhinja of Muhabura Diocese.

Led by the diocesan lay leader Dr. Philemon Mateke, the laity in Muhabura Diocese has successfully blocked Sebuhinja’s consecration for two years now. Mateke is also a local political leader. So, why is the laity increasingly becoming bolder to challenge the spiritual leadership of the clergy?

This is a residual heritage from the 17th century Reformation Movement which challenged church leadership to practically respond to social, economic and political realities of the time. The birth of the Anglican Church (Church of Uganda) was the result of a challenge to the dogmatic Catholic Church.

However, the most significant change in the history of the church was the shift from the Papal Overrule to what is known as the Rule of the Bishops. The Episcopal units (dioceses under a bishop) were however tailored to the political and administrative units thereby enabling the laity’s proximity to their spiritual leaders. And true to this history, most of the dioceses in the Church of Uganda are either based on tribal (community) or administrative territories. For instance, Masindi Diocese was recently curved from Bunyoro Kitara to appease some local interests. South Rwenzori was curved from Rwenzori Diocese in 1984 to appease the Bakonzo of Kasese.

Almost every district in Uganda is now a COU diocese. So, because the creation of a diocese is the result of a popular demand, there is a strong popular need to influence the spiritual leadership of the new diocese.

When this need meets the rigid church electoral process, the laity and some clergymen (they are mostly men) resort to challenging leaders elected through the church’s democratic system and then hell breaks loose! Of course those opposed to a particular bishop-elect will claim their actions are justified by the anomaly of this or that in the electoral process.

According to sources in Masindi, the Rev. Canon Stanley Ntagali’s problem is that he is a Mukiga from Kabale who migrated to Bunyoro as an evangelist. He is said to have been the favoured candidate to be the bishop of Bunyoro Kitara. However, for the sake of addressing local sensibilities, Kyamanywa was elected bishop. So, when Masindi Diocese was curved from Bunyoro Kitara, the Rev. Canon Ntagali was the favourite candidate.

But the Rev. Yona Mugisa, the Diocesan Secretary of South Rwenzori in Kasese says that increased popular participation in politics is responsible for the laity’s boldness to challenge their spiritual leaders.

“The people who choose their political leaders using the ballot are the very people who go to church on Sunday. It is therefore not surprising that they want a participatory role in electing their bishops. My personal opinion is that the Diocesan Synod should elect a bishop. The Archbishop should only come in to consecrate the bishop-elect. But the traditional system where the Electoral College of the Synod nominates two candidates from which the House of Bishops choose a bishop may not address local realities,” he said.

Rev. Hannington Mutebi, the Chaplain to the Archbishop and Provincial Administrative Secretary says the process of electing a bishop is democratic and still caters for local sensibilities. “The local Synod sends two nominees from which the House of Bishops chooses one. This means the chosen candidate has been vetted by the local Synod. It is surprising that some Christians in the diocese would turn around and reject the choice of the House of the Bishops,” says Mutebi.

The first publicised challenge to the powers of a bishop in Uganda was the rejection of Bishop Cyprian Bamwoze of Busoga Diocese.

At the height of the Bamwoze saga, the laity even created a parallel structure with a bishop at the top.

Bishop Bamwoze was later to be retired in public interest and a caretaker bishop was
appointed.