Church says Pope yet to confirm visit

By Juliet Lukwago

The Catholic Church has said Ugandans could have celebrated the news of the Pope’s coming prematurely.

According to the Pope’s representative in Uganda, chances that the Pope will not come are high.

The ministry, too says they have not been notified about the visit.

The Apostolic Nunciature in Uganda has said Ugandans should not celebrate yet because there is no official  communication from the Vatican regarding the Pope’s visit.

The Apostolic Nuncio, Michael August Blume, has instead advised Ugandans to pray for the news to come to fruition.

The media recently announced that Pope Francis would visit Uganda this year. This was after the Pope was quoted as mentioning it during an in-flight interview from a Philippines visit back to Rome.

Blume told Saturday Vision that any planning should take place after an official announcement of the visit. The Nuncio said the pope’s off-the-cuff mention of the visit was hypothetical and not an approved programme on the calendar.

“Pope Francis told journalists after they had asked him about his plans to visit Africa that he was contemplating to visit the Central African Republic and Uganda before the end of this year. But his response was hypothetical. I quote:

‘I respond hypothetically. The plan is to go to the Central African Republic and to Uganda this year.’ He mentioned twice that it was a hypothesis.  While the media spoke enthusiastically about this news, it was important to note the two related words that begin and end what was said: hypothetically and hypothesis.”

The statement from the Nuncio explained that by hypothesis, the pope meant ideas or proposals that, while not yet realised, are still just a basis for further study and discussion.

“To respect the intention of the Holy Father, it is not proper to use the word “confirmed” to describe the state of the question,” the Nuncio said.

Msgr. John Baptist Kauta, the secretary of the Episcopal Conference, also told Saturday Vision at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat in Nsambya that for any papal visit to be confirmed, there has to be official communication through his ambassador in Uganda, the Apostolic Nuncio.

“But, there has not been any communication about his visit yet,” Kauta said. According to A Light for the World, essays about the pope’s pastoral visits outside Italy, the Vatican makes a formal communication at least five months before a papal visit is made. In 1969, when Pope Paul came to Uganda, the announcement was made in February and the visit in July.

The Nuncio also said the chances of the visit not taking place are still high because September is booked for the
US while October will be a synod month in the Vatican.

“It is important to note that the coming session of the Synod of Bishops, from 5-25th October, 2015, must be kept in mind when interpreting the phrase, “towards the end” of the year. It is unlikely that the Synod would be interrupted for an Apostolic Voyage or that it would take place immediately afterwards,” he said.

Blume advised Ugandans to pray that the Holy Spirit assists the pope to successfully work out the details of the hypothesis so that the Vatican communicates soon.

According to foreign affairs ministry publicist Fred Opolot, the pope visits as a head of state and is an official visitor of the Government, who gets a 21-gun salute.

The chairman of the Episcopal Conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, said the country would be notified as soon as the official communication is made.