Uganda: Church Named for Luwum, Priest Murdered by Idi Amin to be Completed

Ntagali

Ntagali

 

LAMWO,Uganda–Fourty years after the murder of a revered and courageous priest by Uganda’s then notorious dictator Gen. Idi Amin, a church named in his honor will soon be completed. Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of the Province of the Church of Uganda has revealed that the Church is in the final stages to complete the construction of Janani Luwum Church House by the end of 2017, four decades after the project was initiated by the late Archbishop Luwum. The building is located along Kampala Road in the Capital city.

“The construction of this sixteen-floor centenary building was initiated by Archbishop Janani in 1977 as part of celebrations to mark 100 years of Christianity in Uganda. The House of Bishops recently re-named it Janani Luwum Church House”, said Archbishop Ntagali.

Archbishop Janani Luwum was murdered by the former dictator of Uganda, Amin, on February 16, 1977 along with two other cabinet ministers on trumped-up allegation that they were planning to overthrow his regime. Luwum had bravely denounced Amin’s murderous regime, placing himself on the tyrant’s death watch.

Archbishop Ntagali made the remarks during his maiden pastoral visit to Palabek Kal Dicwinyi, Lamwo West Archdeaconry headquarters, in the Diocese of Kitgum, Church of Uganda, on Monday July 24, 2017.

He appealed to all Christians to contribute money to their sub-parishes, parishes, archdeaconries and dioceses of the Church of Uganda to enable them buy shares, at shillings 100,000 per share.

A total of about shs.15, 550,000 Uganda shillings ($4,326 US dollars), totaling 155 shares, was raised by Christians of Lamwo and Lamwo West archdeaconries. The Lamwo woman Member of Parliament, Ms. Molly Lanyero contributed a total of 14 million shillings while Lamwo District Council contributed a total of one million shillings of this money.

“Some dioceses have bought shares worth 7 billion shillings. These dioceses will get good dividends when the church will share out profits after completion of the building. I encourage you to buy as many shares as possible”, urges Archbishop Ntagali.

He assured the Christians in the Diocese of Kitgum that the care-taker bishop of the diocese, John Charles Odur-Kami, will continue in that office, although he will retire as the bishop of Lango Diocese on August 13, 2017, until there is “peace and unity” enough for the election of a new bishop for Kitgum.

Ntagali appealed to catechists in the province not to despise themselves because they are the lowest cadres of the church, saying, he also began church work as a catechist.

“I was also a catechist, who by the Grace of God became the Archbishop. You should not despise yourselves. You are actually “spiritual cadres”. A clergy has no job without a catechist”, says archbishop Ntagali.

He said the church world over, prayed for the end of the war in northern Uganda so as to stop the suffering the people were going through. He thanked God that there is now peace in the region.

He appealed to the youths, majority of who were born in concentration camps, to change their mindset from “laziness and overdrinking out of frustration”, but to utilize the potential that God has given them , like vast fertile land, to eradicate poverty from their midst.

“Why are people living without hope yet there is vast fertile and virgin land? Why are people miserable? What has gone wrong that there is no peace in families? Unless our mindset changes from laziness and sin and use the potential that God has given us, we shall not be able to chase away poverty”, says archbishop Ntagali.

He decried rampant witchcraft practices and land grabbing which are being done by practicing Christians which has affected family values negatively. He praised our forefathers for having protected our land.

The head of laity in the Province of the Church of Uganda, Ms. Christine Kintu Mulira, praised the people of northern Uganda for having good lifestyles by not being obese.

She however expressed concern with the way some African youth, claiming they were adopting “homosexual” dressing styles, which she says is Western culture.

 

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