Urgent ceasefire and aid for Gaza- Pope tells Israeli President

 Vatican News

"A two-state solution is the only way out of the current war"

During a private audience, Pope Leo XIV and Isaac Herzog discuss the need for an urgent ceasefire and unimpeded aid access for Gaza, as well as the liberation of all remaining hostages and a two-state solution as the only path to peace.

 

      President Isaac Herzog and Pope Leo XIV met on Thursday, September 4, 2025 (@Vatican Media)

 Isaac Herzog and Pope Leo XIV met on Thursday, September 4, 2025Vatican Media)

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday received Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, in audience in the Apostolic Palace.

The Israeli President subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.

 

According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, during “the cordial talks with the Holy Father and in the Secretariat of State, the political and social situation in the Middle East was addressed, where numerous conflicts persist, with particular attention given to the tragic situation in Gaza.”

 

Hope was expressed “for a speedy resumption of negotiations so that, with willingness and courageous decisions, as well as the support of the international community, the release of all hostages can be achieved, a permanent ceasefire reached with urgency, the safe entry of humanitarian aid into the most affected areas be facilitated, and full respect for humanitarian law be ensured, together with the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples.”

 

The statement added that there were talks about how to ensure a future for the Palestinian people and about peace and stability in the region. It said the Holy See reiterated its view that "a two-state solution is the only way out of the current war.”

 

Reference was also made to what is happening in the West Bank and to the important question of the city of Jerusalem.

 

Before concluding, the Press Office statement noted that “During the discussions, there was agreement on the historical value of the relations between the Holy See and Israel.”

 

A number of issues were also addressed concerning relations between the civil Authorities and the local Church, with particular attention to the importance of Christian communities and their commitment, both locally and throughout the Middle East, to human and social development, especially in the areas of education, the promotion of social cohesion, and regional stability.

 

Genocideur Trump Cannot be the one to Pursue Peace for Ukraine

 

by Valerian Kkonde

Pearl News Service

 

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at the "ALASKA 2025" summit that raised hopes but delivered few details on ending the war in Ukraine.

 

USA President Donald Trump, who by his words and actions has come to be called Donald “Tariffs” Trump, ably answers the definition of a restless man who has accumulated a lot of wealth but lacking interior peace.

 

Since coming back to the White House for his second term, Trump is pursuing policies that erode democratic values and debase freedoms. Trump’s administration has proved that it has no equal when it comes to disregard for human dignity, global stability, development and integrity.

 

All this is a reminder about the true character of Trump, who, shortly before being nominated by his Republican party, had been found guilty in a historic New York hush money case. This was not only the first time a former US President was convicted of a crime but it is a bold statement that Trump’s true place was not supposed to be in the White House but somewhere in prison; serving his sentence for all thirty-four felony counts of falsifying business records.

 

The genocide in Palestine is proof enough to confirm that Trump is a nuisance and a disgrace. Just like his predecessor, the “sleepy” Joe Biden, Trump continues to fan the genocide with all sorts of arms he can lay his arms on and even offer diplomatic cover up to the Adolph Hitler of our times in the names of Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

For Trump to keep shouting how Israel is committing these heinous crimes in the name of self-defence, bar the UN from providing the much needed support to the hapless Palestinians and then come up with a devilish outfit- the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation- sums up the evil that these demagogues, passing off as world leaders, are.

 

Palestinian families and journalists gathered in Gaza City on July 19, 2025 to demand an end to Israeli attacks and the entry of humanitarian aid. Demonstrators held banners reading "Gaza is starving," "Stop the attacks" and "We appeal to the world's conscience." (Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Palestinians have been subjected to all the dehumanisation that the Jews were subjected to by the savage Adolph Hitler and cohorts. The world still remembers the gas chambers, the concentration camps, the starvations, the lethal injections… name it. What a shame!! What a disgrace!!

 

 Yet the so-called developed nations still maintain relationships with the Nazi Israel as if it is business as usual. Any nation with a conscience should have terminated any dealings with the savage Benjamin Netanyahu and taken concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. Even if it calls for a Nagasaki-Hiroshima- style bomb that brought the Second World War to an end.

 

The images of starving children and other people, the hospitals, schools and homes in shambles are the work of the devil incarnate.

 

The politics Trump is rolling out in America espouses hatred, vengeance, greed, oppression, anarchy, spread of authoritarianism and dehumanising tendencies at unprecedented levels. The America that has for decades been synonymous with migrants has been turned into a nightmare. The rights, freedoms and rule of law that were the hallmark of Superpower America have all been flushed down the sewer.

 

Instead of sowing seeds of harmony among nations, Donald Tariffs Trump is sowing discord and promoting systems that serve a few kleptocrats. And they are determined to go to any length to secure their impunity. That is why the world simply watches and takes to meaningless meetings and resolutions while the genocide in Palestine keeps taking its toll, the Adolph Hitler style. What a shame! What a disgrace!

 

Najwa Hussein Hajjaj, 6, is suffering from severe malnutrition in Gaza City. She needs specially prepared meals due to an esophagus condition, according to the New York Times. The Jordanian embassy contacted the family in an attempt to get Najwa out to receive medical care abroad. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times/Redux) 

It is foolhardy for the so-called world leaders and other people of integrity to put their hopes of bringing to an end the mayhem in Ukraine in America’s disgraced Donald Trump. All indications are that Trump is using the pursuit of peace in Ukraine as an opportunity to run away from, and cover up, the genocide in Palestine. Anyone who expects Trump to pursue meaningful peace for Ukraine is no different from those who argue that Adolph Hitler was capable of founding the now hopeless UN.

 

America has always, until under the hate-saturating Trump administration, been known as a country of immigrants. But alas! Look at the brutish force Trump is exerting on innocent immigrants! How about the vulgar language he is using against them! No matter the amount of anger and hatred Trump and his kin have towards the immigrants, the fact remains that America is what it is due to the immense contribution of immigrants. Were Trump to be an immigrant, his acts and words place him close to the hatred similar to that of the 1930s Nazi Germany. The Jews are witnesses to this fact.

 

If agents of peace, like clumsy Trump often wants to portray himself, can be such ruthless and restless, how much more destruction and anarchy will war mongers met on this beautiful common home?

 

Making reference to the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10^th December 1948, one can correctly conclude that the UN is complicit in the genocide in Palestine. The UN has failed the world.

 

All these are merely on paper while in reality the genocide goes on unimpeded in Palestine. The UN is a typical demagogue and a white elephant.

 Palestinians grieve for their dead relatives outside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on July 20. At least 73 people were killed and around 150 people injured by Israeli gunfire in Gaza while seeking aid that day, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The Israel Defense Forces said that troops had “fired warning shots in order to remove an immediate threat posed to them” after “a gathering of thousands of Gazans was identified in the northern Gaza Strip.” (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times/Redux)

“Adopted in 1948, the UDHR has inspired a rich body of legally binding international human rights treaties. It continues to be an inspiration to us all whether in addressing injustices, in times of conflict, in societies suffering repression, and in our efforts towards achieving universal enjoyment of human rights.”

 

Mr. UN is that what is taking place in Palestine, Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, DR Congo, Myanmar and other parts of the globe? What went wrong? And where were you? Apart from condemnations and resolutions what concrete steps are you taking to address these evil acts driven by impunity?

 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was based on the premise that the atrocities of the Second World War must never ever be allowed to happen again. But here we are. The atrocities in Palestine are not a onetime happening; they have been allowed to go on for over eight decades until the impunity let the evil Benjamin Netanyahu, his American funders and other world leaders graduate to a genocide.

 

It is heart-rending to listen to the American president Donald Trump tell the world that the bloodthirsty Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which gathers the starving Palestinians together in the guise of providing them with the scarce necessities, but instead shoots them dead, is the best for the Palestinians.

 

Then comes the British Prime Minister Keir Rodney Starmer who declares to the world that he is going to recognise the Palestinian state but then criminalises and arrests those showing solidarity with the Palestinians who are enduring the genocide.

 

Hail the demagogues posing as world leaders! Samah Matar holds her malnourished son Ameer, who has cerebral palsy, at a school where their family is taking shelter in Gaza City on July 24. (Mahmoud Issa/Reuters)

By this time, every leader and nation of integrity should have cut ties with the Genocideur Israel. Failure to act, especially when you are in a position to do so, is to be complicit in the genocide.

 

One cannot fail to appreciate those voices that continue to rise above this global anarchy to demand for systems and institutions that promote harmony. Religious leaders, university students and lecturers, journalists and some world leaders continue to express their resolve to bring about a just world.

 

Many Israeli continue to come up and shame Benjamin Netanyahu- the Adolph Hitler of today- and Donald Trump that indeed Jews and Palestinians can live along-side each other. They are breaking away from the satanic Nazi-like mentality that Palestinians must be annihilated. That is what all people of integrity are calling for: to permanently solve this decades long dehumanisation of Palestinians by implementing the two-states option with Palestine and Israel existing alongside the other.

 

The continuation of Israel’s genocide in Palestine is due to the coming together of the moral failings of the so-called developed countries. Nazi Germany, Italy, USA have decided to form a coalition of the evil to fan the genocide. The coalition of good led by Spain, Ireland and Denmark must be given all the support they need to bring an end to this axis of evil pursuing the annihilation of Palestinians.

 

While voices demanding for policies and institutions that have humanity at heart grow louder, the temptation to think that Genocideurs, kleptocrats and criminals can at the same time be agents of peace must never be entertained. That is the fool’s illusion.

 

Mohammed al-Mutawaq, an 18-month-old Palestinian boy with medical issues and signs of malnutrition, lies on a mattress inside a tent at the Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City on July 25. (Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

A critical analysis of Donald Trump’s actions shows that he is instead creating more problems than he is actually solving. He is a hypocrite and a criminal driven by hatred and vengeance. It defeats logic to look up to the clumsy Donald Tariffs Trump for peace, development and stability, not only in America but the world at large.

 

In January 2025, soon after returning to the White House, he removed all the sanctions on individual and groups of Israel settlers deemed dangerous to humanity. Today they are back murdering and expanding illegal settlements. 

 

 Clumsy Trump later pulled America out of the Paris Climate Agreement but this is not the solution to the climate change crisis. Were this to be the solution then the LA fires and the Texas floods that claimed the lives of 21 children, among other deaths, would not have taken place. Reducing emissions to minimise climate change is best option expected from people like Trump. Denials simply complicate the tragedy yet the world is looking for solutions to the challenges that bedevil humanity.

 

 

This is a wakeup call to the Americans that time is running out for them to get rid of Trump and his evil administration if they are to continue enjoying the fruits of their hard earned democracy and freedoms. Even the Israelis have a noble duty to get rid of savage Netanyahu and his evil clique if they are to distance themselves from the genocide. Americans and Israelis have that power and must put it to use for a stable and prosperous world and future generations. Why should you own a genocide belonging to some dishonest and evil individuals saturating the world with hatred, evil and anarchy?

 

 

When greed consumes the powerful and the so-called developed nations,  human dignity is trampled upon. Even the demise of these innocent souls cannot move them to action. 

The Middle East gluttons, scrambling for the blood-stained dollars, continue to   revel in the satanic Ibrahim Accords while their “brothers” are subjected to gas chambers, deliberate and systematic starvation, displacements, day and night indiscriminate bombings and maiming. These gluttons have decided to join America, Israel, Germany, Britain and other cursed and evil entities consumed by hatred to reduce Palestinians to guinea pigs. Shame!!

 

Even the UN has conspired to allow Adolph Hitler to once again walk on our beautiful home!!

 

 Eighty-six years ago Pope Pius XII made an impassioned appeal to the world to watch out against such greed and destruction but his voice was not heeded to. Pope Leo XIV, just like his other predecessors, is continuing with the preaching of peace and respect for human dignity.

 

“It is by the force of reason, not the force of arms, that justice makes its way. Empires not founded on justice are not blessed by God. Politics divorced from morality betrays those who promote it.”

 

Pope Pius XII in prayer. The Roman Catholic Church recognised the state of Palestine on June 26, 2015 but with the genocide raging on in Palestine, Nazi Germany still has the audacity to bar those willing to find concrete and just answers to the suffering of humanity.  VATICAN NEWS Photo.

Yes, eighty-six years ago but Pope Pius XII’s words continue to haunt the world. Then, on September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and triggered the World War II. This led to six years of global conflict. Nazi Germany today is again playing a prominent role in the Israel genocide in Palestine.

 

While some nations and individuals pride themselves in being architects of evil in our common home, let those of us still having a conscience raise our voices to condemn and bring to an end the Israel genocide in Palestine. The peace that resides in us should embrace our common home.

 

 

 

Pope Leo calls for Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace on August 22

 VATICAN NEWS

 FILE PHOTO: Pope Leo XIV during his first General Audience, where the faithful wave a peace flag  

 

 Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to unite in prayer and fasting on 22 August for peace, and calls for a "disarmed and disarming peace" in all places torn by armed conflict.

 

Addressing the faithful gathered in the Paul VI Hall for his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV turned his thoughts once more to the world’s many conflict zones.

In recalling the upcoming liturgical commemoration of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on Friday, 22 August, the Pope invited the faithful to celebrate that day by praying and fasting for peace.

 

“Mary is the Mother of the faithful here on earth and is remembered as the Queen of Peace,” the Pope said.

 

As our world continues to be wounded by wars - in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world - the Pope invited all the faithful to take part in "a day of prayer and fasting" for all those who suffer because of war, "imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts."

   Pope Leo XIV with US Vice President JD Vance in the Vatican

"May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace," he added.

 Pope Leo also greeted Polish-speaking faithful making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa at Jasna Góra, who were attending the audience.

 

“I ask you", he said, "to include in your intentions the supplication for the gift of peace – a peace that is disarmed and disarming – for the whole world, especially for Ukraine and the Middle East."

Football the Beautiful 90 Minutes Game

 

by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

 

Africa’s most celebrated football icons: Victor Wanyana (Kenya), Denis Onyango (Uganda) and Mrisho Ngasa (Tanzania) at the unveiling of the new trophy for the Africa Nations Championship 2024. CAF online Photo

For the first time Uganda Cranes have progressed to the quarter finals of the Total Energies African Nations Championship. The celebrations that ensued will be remembered for some good time. Not with the style and drama in which it was achieved!

 

Uganda’s journey to the quarter finals is another tale of its own. The opening match was between Uganda the host and Algeria. At the end of the 90 minutes, Uganda was crest fallen as Algeria won with a resounding three goals to zero! The 2024 African Nations Championship is being played in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

 

Ugandans made sure that their anger with the results, and the general performance of the team, is clearly presented to the managers of the national team. The President’s offer of one billion and two- hundred million shillings was also greeted with the supporters’ wrath arguing that it made more sense to fund the sports docket as a whole.

 

But to prove that the anger and criticisms were in good faith, fans returned to Nelson Mandela National Stadium- Namboole in big numbers and they did occupy the position of the twelfth player. At the end of the ninety minutes, Uganda was counting three while Guinea Conakry was empty handed!

 

Niger also met the same fate from the Uganda Cranes. Uganda left Namboole with two goals while Niger had none.  

 

Algeria and South Africa were the group favourites but football being what it is, at the end of the first three games for all the five teams, it was Uganda at the top with six points. The favourites each had five points. The stakes for the group closing games were indeed high. But Uganda needed only a draw with South Africa.

 

The Uganda vs South Africa group closing match was to kick off at 8:00 pm but by 4:00 pm Namboole was packed to capacity. Tickets for the match were sold out four days to the kick off.

 Right from kick off Uganda Cranes showed the desire for an outright win. And at half time, Uganda was leading 1-0.

 

                                           Nelson Mandela National Stadium

There is no doubt that Uganda indeed possesses a lot of talent but poor administration and funding are letting down our young people. With the Buganda Masaza tournament, it is obvious that a lot of talent is being wasted in the countryside. Buganda Masaza tournament has become the recruiting agency for the Uganda Cranes. The Federation of Uganda Football Association should style up.

 

Majority, if not all teams in the Uganda Premier League are clearly struggling. The African Nations Championship is for only the players in the national leagues of the competing countries.

 For Uganda it is almost hard to state the type of football that is synonymous with the national team.  There is no consistency. Players have been playing high balls yet they are not good in the air. This denied us a lot of chances and the flow of the game was being interrupted all the time.

 

The accuracy of the ground passes should be more thorough and precise. There is no other way of putting the opponent on the defensive, and keep him panicking than with this type of passing the ball.

 August 18 will remain in Uganda’s football records for a long time since this is the day the country made that emphatic progress to the quarter finals beating South Africa. But the second half brought tremours in the hearts of Ugandan fans as South Africa made successive scores to lead Uganda 3-1 until the last minutes of the game.

 

 Jude Ssemugabi celebrates Uganda Cranes’ first goal. All CAF Photos

This beautiful game of football is a 90 minutes challenge that is not over until the final whistle is blown. It was clearly obvious that Uganda Cranes switched off at one time yet in football you switch off at your own risk.

 Unfortunately even some fans started moving out of the stadium crest fallen! But the final whistle had not yet gone. For football even a second is enough to turn the score around. And that is exactly what happened.

 

As the players pushed ahead, Uganda got two successive penalties and the draw that was enough to progress Uganda Cranes to the quarter finals was in the bag. In the 87^th minute Uganda Cranes got the second goal after Allan Okello converted the penalty resulting from a foul on the advancing Cranes player. The stadium and those watching on their television sets went wild with joy. For South Africa it was tears and disbelief!

 

That is the beautiful game of football. It is played for ninety minutes.

 

 

 

  

Faith in a dumpster fire world

VATICAN NEWS 

By Jenny Kraska

As the Church marks the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jenny Kraska reflects on the theme, "Faith in a dumpster fire world".

 

Jesus giving His Sermon on the Mount

Lord’s Day Reflection on the 20^th Sunday in ordinary time Year C

1^st Reading Jeremiah (38:4-6, 8-10)

Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18

2^nd Reading Hebrews (12:1-4)

Gospel according to Luke (12:49-53)

 At first hearing the Gospel reading, the words of Jesus can be unsettling: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” We know Jesus as the Prince of Peace, the One who came to reconcile all things to the Father. Yet in this Gospel reading He speaks of fire, division, and strife.

           This apparent contradiction can leave us perplexed. But Christ Himself was a sign of contradiction, as Simeon foretold when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple. His life and mission revealed the love and mercy of God, yet that same truth and love confronted sin, hypocrisy, and injustice. The Gospel comforts the afflicted but also afflicts the comfortable.

           To follow Christ is to share in His mission, and that means we too will sometimes become signs of contradiction. Our call to be saints and to bear witness to the Gospel will not always be met with applause or agreement. Truth, even when spoken with love, can stir resistance. Think of St. Thomas More, who stood firm for the authority of the Church, knowing it would cost him his life. Or St. Oscar Romero, whose defense of the poor and call for justice provoked threats, division, and ultimately martyrdom. Holiness often comes with a cost.

           Division in this context is not about fostering hostility for its own sake. Rather, it is the inevitable result when the light of Christ shines into a world still marked by darkness. Some will receive that light with joy; others will turn away. The Gospel challenges us to choose between comfort and conversion, self-interest and sacrificial love, earthly peace and the peace that only God can give.

           This month, the world marks the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – two events that brought the horrors of World War II to a close yet left deep wounds in the human family. These anniversaries remind us of the tension that Jesus describes. The human longing for peace is universal, but history shows how far we often are from the peace Christ offers. Nuclear weapons brought an end to fighting, but at a terrible cost to human life and dignity. The division between God’s vision for humanity and the choices we make in fear, pride, or revenge remains painfully real.

          In remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we are called not simply to lament the past but commit ourselves anew to the Gospel path of peace – a peace rooted in truth, justice, and conversion of heart. This peace is not naïve or fragile; it is forged in the fire of the Holy Spirit; the same fire Jesus speaks of in this Gospel. It is peace that refuses to compromise with evil, even when such refusal brings conflict or suffering.

           May we embrace our calling as disciples to be, like Christ, signs of contradiction – witnesses to a love that is stronger than death and a peace the world cannot give.

Editor- This article is got from the Vatican News with slight editing. By reading this article, you are supporting the Media Apostolate in bringing the Pope’s words into every home.

UN: At least 1,760 Palestinians killed while seeking aid in Gaza since May 2025

 From the Vatican News

By Nathan Morley

The United Nations says that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect emergency aid in Gaza since late May.

           Palestinians struggling to get food in Gaza. ANSA Photo

          At least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access humanitarian aid in Gaza since late May, the United Nations said Friday, as Israeli forces continue to fire on civilians amid a deepening crisis.

          The UN human rights office said 994 people were killed near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites and 766 along aid convoy routes. Most were reportedly shot by Israeli forces. The figure marks a sharp rise from the 1,373 deaths reported on Aug. 1.

           Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 23 people Friday, including 12 waiting for aid.

           The violence comes as Israel prepares a new offensive targeting Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, drawing international condemnation over alleged efforts to forcibly displace civilians.

           Residents have reported intensified airstrikes in recent days. Hamas has condemned what it called “aggressive” ground incursions.

           UN-backed experts warn of famine across Gaza, where a five-month blockade has choked off food and aid. Since the blockade began March 2, malnutrition and starvation-related deaths have surged.

           Gaza’s health ministry said Thursday that four more people died of starvation, bringing the toll to 239, including 106 children. It also reported 54 deaths from Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll since Oct. 7 to 61,776 — mostly women and children.

           Independent estimates suggest the true toll is higher, with more than 154,000 injured and thousands missing or presumed buried under rubble.

 

Brother Sun treats Namugongo Pilgrims to Rare Display of Colours and Movements

 

by Valerian Kkonde                                                         

ACCPU

The procession and part of the pilgrims

 In Uganda, the month of June is dedicated to the Uganda Martyrs. It is on June 3 that the universal Church celebrates the feast of Charles Lwanga, Matia Mulumba and 20 companions who decided to shade their blood rather than denounce their faith in the Lord.

Pilgrims, in their millions, flock to Namugongo from all over the world to praise and thank God for the gift of these martyrs.  The 2025 pilgrimage will be remembered for the rare display put up by the Sun on the second and third of June.

It was a few minutes passed 9:00 am when suddenly, a section of the Pilgrims seated on the left side of the entry to the bridge leading to the altar, burst into shouting, clapping, singing and calls to others to come and witness to the rare displays in the sky.

From Pavilion C the shouts were audible as well as the stir in the crowd. At first I thought they were reacting to the music the Lugazi diocese choir was playing. No sooner was I taking my attention to other areas, the people at the very end of Pavilion C also burst into shouting, screaming and clapping. I stood up to take note of what was going on. As I tried to make sense of the fracas, I heard one lady shout and pointing intently in the sky: “I can see the Virgin Mary clearly.”

I decided to go out to get a clear view of what was taking place. The Pilgrims in Pavilion B were also scrambling to get a clear view of the sky.

The walkway between Pavilion B and Pavilion C was the perfect place to look up in the sky and have a clear view without any interruption. By now some people were shouting that it is the Virgin Mary.

Behold, I was amazed by the display the Sun was putting up in the sky!

The Sun was at first blue, then turned about as if in a bearing and appeared to move towards us! Then it turned white with golden clouds surrounding it! It then got a snow white cloud around itself and would shake as if it were falling from the sky!

After the white clouds, there would follow the nimbus clouds and the sequence went on and on! The spectacle was indeed a joy to behold! Not even a strain in the eyes could be felt.

As the pilgrims kept cheering, some were asking rather confused as to what was going on; they pleaded that they were not seeing anything.

A section of the Lugazi diocese choir. All photos by Arthur Kintu/ ACCPU

Some journalists tried to capture the spectacular display on their cameras but without success. By this time the procession of the priests was visible from the extreme right hand side, and the master of ceremonies was calling upon the pilgrims to get composed for Holy Mass. The excitement was too much to contain. It was 9:30 am by now.

After Mass, I talked to a priest about the display that the Sun had put up just before Mass. The priest told me that he had arrived in Namugongo on Saturday, 31^st May 2025. He went on to say that the Sun had indeed put up the same display on June 2, 2025 at 3:00 pm and last for almost an hour!

Whenever I recall that spectacular display of Brother Sun, on the day when we celebrate the Uganda Martyrs, what comes to mind is that Mary, the Queen of Martyrs, could have had a message for the Pilgrims.

In the Book of Revelation Chapter 11, verse 19a and the following, the Apostle John tells us that: Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. This revelation was being relived in Namugongo as the universal Church celebrated the heroic gift of the Uganda Martyrs.

With the marking of the decade for the landmark Encyclical: Laudato Si of Pope Francis, there is no doubt that the Queen of Martyrs would love to emphasise that she as well is the Queen of heaven and earth. She is the Queen of the Universe. Mother Mary is the mother of God and mother of the Church. And she never tires to intercede for her children.