Archbishop Lwanga's Christmas message in full

Dec 23, 2016

As we celebrate this year's Christmas, lets us Remember that Jesus is the secret of peace at all levels

Archbishop Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga addressing a news conference on Friday in Kampala. Photo by Juliet Lukwago 

Theme: "Promote genuine love in your families;

For love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things"

1 Cor 13:4

Greetings

• Merry Christmas to you all, starting from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, his Family and members of His Government.

• To His Majesty the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, his Family and members of His Government and his subjects.

• To All Cultural Leaders in Uganda

• To All the Officially Recognized Religious Leaders in Uganda

• To All Christians and to all people of God. To you all I say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017.

Thanks to God

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we celebrate this Christmas, we thank God for the many blessings, He has given us during this year. We thank Him for the gift of life, we thank Him for providing us our daily needs. We thank Him for the many troubles and hard-times He has seen us through. And above all we thank Him for having sent us his only begotten Son, who came so that we have life to its fullness.

What we celebrate at Christmas

Christmas is indeed about people coming together about the family coming together. Christmas is all about being home, being in the family to celebrate the joyful mystery of the Incarnation of our God. In spite of not being home for Christmas, and not even being able to find a decent place to stay, like an inn with other people around, the Blessed Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph came together to a stable in Bethlehem where they were joined by the Son of God who was born in that humble place. Immediately, the birth of Jesus Christ began to bring other people together to experience this holy and joyful mystery.

The Challenges in our Country Today

As we come together to celebrate Christmas today, we are nevertheless living through several challenges that limit us from experiencing the joy of Christmas in fullness, these are;

The hunger problem

The hunger crisis in our Country today is largely attributed to environmental change, poor farming methods and lack of Giant Food Stores "ebyagi." I call upon the government to be more strict when it comes to reservation of forests, swamps, rivers and lakes. We need to introduce modern farming methods, Food security programs such as agricultural training and food banks.

4.2 Rising Crime Rates in both Rural and Urban Areas

I note with concern the rising cases of theft and murders in both Rural and urban areas as well as domestic violence that often lead to murder.

4.3 The Conflicts in Rwenzoruru Region and the shootings in the Country

I express my profound regret for the events that culminated into the loss of lives of the security forces, the royal guards and the men and women because they are all citizens of Uganda and children of God. Let me take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt condolences and together with those of the entire Catholic Church to all those who lost their dear ones during this crisis.

Using our platforms as Religious Leaders through Uganda Joint Christian Council and Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, we have addressed these challenges and many others that our Country is facing today and I urge the government and the public to take our advice and recommendations seriously and also implement them.

2017 - Year of the Family in Uganda

On Saturday 8th October 2016, the President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni declared the year 2017 the 'Year of the Family'. I invite all Ugandans to support the President's call as we use the New Year 2017 to uplift our family values for the good of the communities in which we stay.

Promote the Rights and Values of the Family

The family today is facing many challenges; many couples no longer value faithfulness in their marriage and as a result the family suffers emotionally, spiritually and physically. The family is suffering due to alcoholism and domestic violence, poverty and laziness, lack of employment. Parents are too busy to guide their children leaving them to the media that proposes a wide variety of things, most of which unfortunately destroy the family. Many people are getting addicted to pornography and sexual deviant behaviours like promiscuity, homosexuality, masturbation and the like. To many, these are no longer seen as sins but the norm. These unfortunate occurrences are further complicated by influence from the developed world.

However, the worst form of suffering the family of today faces is a lack of interior life, no reflection, dead faith and within it, loss of values and loss of hope. The family is slowly but surely losing the sense of sin, the sense of God and His commandments.

The family of today urgently needs to orient itself towards God. The Holy family of Nazareth is the model which all Christian families should emulate by renewing their life with daily prayer, no domiestic violence, no alcoholism, no marital infidelity, no immorality of any kind but a sacrificial love. There can never be joy in the family without God.

In addition to reviving our faith by reading the Bible in our families daily, we also need to be keen to what our children are being taught and feed them with the right information. We need to ensure that they learn and appreciate the beauty of our culture and the teachings of our faith. Our children are eager to discover new things; if we do not pay attention, the wrong people will teach them the wrong things which our children may take as biblical truth. Teaching children the correct values is the parents' primary responsibility, and both our civil as well as faith leaders should also play a big role. In fulfilling this, let us be guided by the following.

 

Promote what the National Constitution of the Republic of Uganda recommends to the family

According to Article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, the Rights of the Family are stipulated as follows;

Article 31 (3) Marriage shall be entered into with the free consent of the man and woman intending to marry.

Article 31 (4) It is the right and duty of parents to care for and bringing up their children.

Article 31 (5) Children may not be separated from their families or the persons entitled to bring them up against the will of their families or of those persons, except in accordance with the law.

Let us implement the Charter of the Rights of the Family

The Catholic Church Teaches the following about the Charter of the Rights of the Family

i. The rights of the person, even though they are expressed as rights of the individual, have a fundamental social dimension which finds an innate and vital expression in the family;

ii. marriage is the natural institution to which the mission of transmitting life is exclusively entrusted;

iii. the family, a natural society, exists prior to the State or any other community, and possesses inherent rights which are inalienable;

iv. the family constitutes, much more than a mere juridical, social and economic unit, a community of love and solidarity, which is uniquely suited to teach and transmit cultural, ethical, social, spiritual and religious values, essential for the development and well-being of its own members and of society.

v. the family and society, which are mutually linked by vital and organic bonds, have a complementary function in the defense and advancement of the good of every person and of humanity;

vi. society, and in a particular manner the State and International Organizations, must protect the family through measures of a political, economic, social and juridical character, which aim at consolidating the unity and stability of the family so that it can exercise its specific function;

Way Forward

Let us do the following;

i. Implement and promote the above mentioned Rights and Values of the Family

ii. Promote the Family at all levels via;

• Expanding access to good family values and health education

• Government and NGOs must continue committing themselves on favoring a culture of life against the culture of death of which promiscuity, pornography, abortion and drugs are dramatic expressions

• Strengthen family values and rights by the State via Ministry of Education and Sports, Religious and Cultural Institutions as well as parents to do their work

• Parents should be encouraged and assisted in carrying out their responsibility as the first educators of their children in life and faith.

• We need education programs in schools which combine faith, morals and reason to prepare children and the youth for a better future.

• Faith based organisations should encourage families to draw authentic inspiration and strength from marriage and family spirituality

By implementing the above, the Parents, the State and Religious Leaders shall have responded positively to their duty of morally upbringing the future leaders of this Nation.

Conclusion

A National Motto represents what a nation stands for and strives for, since our National Motto is "For God and my Country," let us all have God and our Country first in whatever we do.

As we celebrate this year's Christmas, lets us Remember that Jesus is the secret of peace at all levels, starting from the family. Let us Rejoice with gratitude for the gift of Jesus and all the achievements God has given us through Christ. Let us Renew our lives by correcting mistakes in our families.

May this Christmas be an occasion of Rebirth in Faith and Moral Living in all our families!

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2017 to you all!

God bless you all!

Cyprian Kizito Lwanga

ARCHBISHOP OF KAMPALA

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