President Museveni Calls on Africa’s Catholic Bishops to Develop the Welfare of their Followers

by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

President Yoweri Museveni addressing the congregation in Lubaga Cathedral.

 Photo by S,P Byakatonda

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has praised the steady growth of the spirituality of the Africans and called on the Church leaders to develop the welfare of the Christians as well if they are to meaningfully contribute to the development of the Church.

Museveni said this in the Sacred Heart Cathedral- Lubaga, Kampala just before Mass for the Golden Jubilee celebrations for the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) on July 21, 2019.

“Africa is doing much better than other continents spiritually. Other continents are in deep spiritual crisis. Some people cannot differentiate between a man and a woman.”

Museveni added that it is time for the Catholic Bishops to match the spiritual growth with the welfare of the people they lead. To emphasize this, Museveni used the comparison of USA and Africa saying that Africa which is four times bigger than America has an economy of 2.5 trillion US dollars while America’s is worth 20 trillion.

“Africa is a land of great wealth but not developed mainly due to a cultural problem.  They are stuck with subsistence farming and lack evaluation for the profitability of what they do.”

Museveni lamented that Africans are stuck with low productivity to the extent that even when they consume, they under consume. He said that while the World Health Organisation recommends that a person should consume 210 liters of milk per year; Africans consume a paltry 18 liters per person a year.  

“This even affects their offertory in Church,” he stressed to the laughter of the congregation.

He further amused the Congregation when he pointed out that out of the two missions God set out for man after creation, Africans are only doing well at multiplying and filling the earth. But that when it comes to establishing dominion over nature, Africans are failing flat. He added that this has resulted in floods, famine and disease.

In his homily, the President of SECAM Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubamgo, Angola, said that the word of God in the Holy Scripture helps to strengthen the believers’ mission of evangelisation with greater zeal.   

 

A section of the African Bishops and Cardinals who turned up for the opening Mass for the SECAM golden jubilee celebrations at Lubaga Cathedral. Photo by S P Byakatonda

Referring to the Golden Jubilee celebrations, he pointed out that the Church in Africa is the fastest growing and most vibrant. He said that the  growing number of Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, the Religious and the Laity is testimony to this.

His Grace Mbilingi also praised the Catholic Church for the many schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions under her control and management adding that the Church is indeed taking Christ to the world waiting out there for salvation.