Bishop Zziwa explains why Catholic bishops had to unite

RELIGION    ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Catholic Bishops of Africa and Madagascar are in Kampala for the 18^th assembly of their umbrella organisation, Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). Mathias Mazinga asked the Chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Bishop Joseph Antony Zziwa, who is the chief host, about the weeklong episcopal meeting, which will take place at Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo, on July 21-28.

Why was it necessary for bishops to associate in SECAM?

During the Second Vatican Council that convened in Rome, in 1962 - 1965, African bishops developed a desire to establish a solidarity forum in which they could discuss and address issues pertaining to the Church in Africa. They then presented their proposal to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in the Vatican. In 1968, they were invited to Rome to deliberate on the proposed continental symposium. Subsequently, the formation of SECAM was endorsed. Saint Pope Paul VI launched the organisation here in Uganda, at Rubaga Cathedral, on July 31, 1969. Uganda also got the opportunity to host the first plenary of SECAM, which took place on July 29-31, of the same year. SECAM is an umbrella organisation that brings together the episcopal conferences of Africa and Madagascar.

How many delegates are you hosting?

We had expected between 400-500 delegates.  But some of them failed to make it. So, we have about 250-300.

That is a massive number of high-profile guests! What is your budget?

Our budget is slightly over sh2b.  This covers maintenance of the guests at Speke Resort Munyonyo, security, and transportation, to name a few.

SECAM Delegates at the sport of the martyrdom of Saint Andrew Kaggwa during their visit to Munyonyo Catholic Martyrs Shrine (on Wednesday).

Honestly, this is much money. But you must be mindful of the importance and magnitude of the event we are hosting. The people visiting us are Prelates. The visitors also include special delegates from Europe, the US, and the Vatican. We thought that Munyonyo was the best place to accommodate them for the weeklong activities. But also, as you are aware,  Munyonyo is expensive. But of course there is a price to pay for every good thing. By the way, even the government takes its events to Munyonyo. You cannot avoid it.

Was it really necessary to celebrate?

It is 50 years since Saint Pope Paul VI launched SECAM. As you may be aware, the Bible encourages us to celebrate anniversaries (Leviticus 25). So, during the latest plenary in Luanda, Angola, the Bishops opted to celebrate the golden jubilee of SECAM. Interestingly, they deemed it right and just to hold the celebrations in this country, Uganda, where the organisation was birthed. So, the African Bishops have come to celebrate the golden jubilee of their organisation. The Bishops have also come to participate in the 18^th assembly of their organisation.

SECAM episcopal delegates in procession for the inaugural mass of their 18th plenary assembly at Rubaga Cathedral on Sunday, July 21

 
Have you been able to get all this money?

First of all, I wish to convey my great thanks to Ugandans for their love and generosity to the Church. Ever since we started organizing these celebrations, we have received enormous material support and financial contributions for our Christians and other people of goodwill. For example, the President gave us all the chasubles that the Bishops are going to wear. The government also helped us to meet part of the accommodation expenses. Organisations like the Parliament of Uganda and the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre have also given us buses to transport the visitors. So, we the Church leaders, are very impressed by the generosity of our people. As of now I am not in the position to tell you how much money we have been able to get and how we are going to spend it. But I promise you that during the closing mass at Namugongo Catholic Martyrs Shrine, on July 28, we shall give you full accountability of each and every penny that we have received.

A whole week at Munyonyo! What will you be doing?

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be various study sessions. The delegates will discuss three or four topics, every day. The topics will be handled by specialists in the respective areas. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, will be the days for the plenary; the Bishops and the Secretaries-General will be discussing issues pertaining to SECAM.  On the last day, they will pass the resolutions, or the document, which they will pronounce to the Christians during the closing mass at Namugongo Catholic Martyrs Shrine, on Sunday, July 28. While at Munyonyo, the delegates will be having mass, every day, animated by local choirs. In the evening, they will be treated to cabaret entertainment by the local cultural ensembles.

Some of the SECAM delegates who graced the inaugural function of the organisation's 18th plenary assembly at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort on Sunday, July 21

 
SECAM is 50 years old. What is its impact?

SECAM does not work in isolation. It works in solidarity with member episcopal conferences. When SECAM holds an assembly, the respective resolutions are implemented by the episcopal conferences through the dioceses. So, if you want to understand the effectiveness and benefits of SECAM, look at the contribution of individual episcopal conferences, or diocese to holistic development in their respective countries. Of course the contribution of the Catholic Church to education, social services and development has been enormous. When Pope Paul VI came here in 1969, he said: "You Africans are now missionaries to yourselves." I must say SECAM has always taken this statement seriously. This is why we now have impressive statistics. The number of Christians, Bishops, Catholic religious men and women, and lay-Catholics, has grown. The church is also attaining self-reliance in terms of personal and financial resources. By the time SECAM was inaugurated, most of our parishes were being manned by missionaries. Today all these parishes are occupied by the indigenous clergy. Many of our local clergies are working as missionaries in Africa, Europe and the US. By the way, even the Catholic religious missionary institutes, such as the White Fathers, the Mill Hill Fathers and the Holy Cross Fathers, which prior to 1969 didn't have African confreres, are now having African confreres! All these are achievements of SECAM!

How will Uganda benefit from this event?

Apart from the religious celebrations, the 18^th SECAM assembly is going to market Uganda. The delegates from Africa and Europe, whom we are hosting, are going to see the beautiful things in our country, go back and talk to them. So, Uganda is much honoured to host this event. We are also going to reap spiritual and material benefits.

 
So far, in the last 50 years, no Ugandan Bishop has been elected President of SECAM. Is this our chance? Should we start celebrating your elevation to the organisation's Presidency, now that you are the host Prelate?

It is not possible to predict the next President of SECAM. You know this is a purely Catholic religious organisation which promotes the common good of the Church in Africa. So, there are no selfish interests. The Bishops just elect their brother Bishop, who they think will build perfectly from where his predecessor has concluded. So, let us just wait for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Some of the SECAM delegates who graced the inaugural function of the organisation's 18th plenary assembly

 
What challenges have you encountered in organizing this event?

We haven't encountered many challenges. You know, having successfully organised many Martyrs Day functions, on June 3, we now have enormous expertise in organizing international functions. In fact, we just used our structures the Uganda Catholic Secretariat, and the committees, which we use to organise the Namugongo celebrations. The people have also been generous. The only challenge is the slow inflow of pledges. People make pledges, but they come in slowly.

Some sections of the media reported that the Pope refused to come when he learnt that a massively extravagant budget had been made for his visit. Is this be true?

It is not true. The Pontiff was just occupied. He had already made a programme for his visits. All the same, he will send us delegates who will represent him.

Were you disappointed when it was announced he would not be able to make it?

Of course all of us would like to be with him. But we also understand the circumstances that made it impossible for him to come. So, we are just happy that he is sending us special delegates.

Have you made arrangements for the SECAM delegates to visit Uganda's tourist sites such as Murchison Falls and Wildlife Education Centre, Entebbe?

No, really. You know they didn't come here for tourism. They came here for the golden jubilee of their organisation. In any case, we shall take them to some places around Kampala.

What is your last message to Ugandans?

Brethren, hosting the 18^th Plenary and golden jubilee celebrations of SECAM the is a great honour to Uganda. It means the Bishops of Africa have acknowledged the importance of our partnership in the promotion of the Church in Africa. Let us be grateful to God for this gift by keeping the faith. Let us reflect and live by the theme of the event, which says: The Church/Family of God in Africa, celebrate your Jubilee! Proclaim Jesus Christ your Saviour. This theme invokes us to celebrate the gift of the family. It also inspires us to come with new ideas of proclaiming the Gospel.
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