I will remain Arua Diocese bishop, says Odoki

I remember on the day of the funeral of the

Bishop Emeritus Drandua of Arua diocese passes on

The Bishop Emeritus for Arua diocese, Rt Rev Fredrick Drandua, has passed on

, he [Andua] didn’t acknowledge me as the Bishop of Arua Diocese. For him he said there was no Bishop of Arua. He has to explain why he thinks there is no Bishop of Arua yet Bishops are chosen by the Holy Father, the Pope, and once appointed he has to be allowed to do his work.

If he had any problem he should have gone to the office of the Diocese or Vicar General. I even invited him many times but he didn’t come. I wonder whether he is a Christian in his heart.

He claims that Christians have chosen him, but I wonder who those Christians are. In the Catholic Church, the Bishop has to confirm any position of leadership.
The Key person behind what happened is Andua and I have no doubt about it. He has to answer.

You have cited tribalism as a motivation of those against you and your leadership, can you explain?
In Catholic Church, tribalism should not be there because our church is universal. But the way these groups where mobilising themselves, I see that they are using tribalism to pull support. In my assessment, I think there is issue of having power of the diocese and resources in their hands.

They accuse me that I have stolen money of the diocese; money which I didn’t find. How can I steal what wasn’t handed over to me?
They want to make stories that taint my name but I know I am a good man, I have good record and they can follow my record right from Gulu Archdiocese where I worked.
They have tried to tarnish my name through internet thinking that people will reject me. The situation of the diocese by the time I joined was very poor; no resources, no hand-over, debts. What do you steal from there?
Instead I have invested a lot in the Diocese through help of friends and Christians: look at the beautiful Ediofe cathedral I renovated. A friend abroad single-handedly funded furniture worth US$ 50,000 (Shs165m) for the church. Thank God we had not put them; otherwise they would have been all burnt down.

Your accusers point out to financial mismanagement as justification for their action. How do you respond to this allegation?
All you have to ask are the people in the institution who were controlling the money because there could be money lost before I came in. There was no formal hand-over [by Emeritus Drandua] when I assumed office. How would I know of such money? The money I received the time I entered office, we have record of how we used, we have been receiving letters from donors to account for money lost before my time and this could be some of the money. They now want to use it to tarnish my name.

Under my administration, no money is lost and no money is embezzled because I have set up a system and that is what my haters don’t want --- the system.

How do you respond to allegations of authoritarian rule; that you suspend or transfer to remote areas priests who question your actions?
They may use the word authoritarian rule but for me I know it is pastoral ministry that I give. As a Bishop, I have a role to guide the people of God and once I tell them, they say I am authoritarian. The service of a Bishop is to unite, help, guide people and where need be, warn them. The Bishop is a custodian of the Catholic faith and once someone is going astray, I have to remind him, promote evangelism, promote sacramental life and all my work is within this context.
Whoever says I am authoritarian is wrong because I am a very kind person who loves people so much.
Concerning priests’ transfers, a priest is to work anywhere and there is no moment a Bishop asks you where you want to work. Instead, the priest promises obedience to the Bishop.
So when a priest starts to refuse assignments, it shows that he has big trouble because obedience means you accept to serve anywhere in the diocese.

This Arua Diocese problem has been simmering for about seven year. Protesters ransacked Ediofe priests’ house, torched vehicles and documents and razed down the temporary shelter outside Ediofe Cathedral, which is undergoing renovation. This is unprecedented in the Catholic Church. How do you feel about this happening while you are Ordinary of the diocese?
I feel very bad. People who destroy property, what a shame! This means their thinking capacity has stopped. This could be the work of the devil that doesn’t want to see the work of the Catholic Church to continue and any Christian would not do that. In our Catholic Church, we teach about love, love of God, love of one another. Even if they don’t love the Bishop, I am not eternal and time will come for me to move on. Destroying church property is unjustifiable.
People who are in their good mind seek dialogue, but if you go and destroy to express yourself, it shows that you have no capacity for dialogue.

At the inauguration of Muni University, you told President Museveni publicly, and followed it with an official letter, that some of the Christians in Arua are terrorists and that they want to kill you. Do you regret using what potentially is an inflammatory language?
This is misquotation and exaggeration; I never said some of the Christians in Arua but rather that a group of people who act like terrorists want to kill me.
These people who are attacking me want it to look like I am accusing my Christians so that they turn against me; they mobilise their support through propaganda.
I only mentioned that terrorist-like people almost murdered me, Archbishop John Baptist Odama and my Vicar General.
Those behind the plot to stone us are not Christians because by the time you pick a stone to throw against your bishop, you would have lost Christianity.

The diocesan seat is under lockdown by army and police, both of which shouldn’t be solvers of the problem. Do you feel the Catholic Church in Arua is now captive to state control and direction?
Presence of security there at the moment wasn’t my call; it was the situation of insecurity that attracted security personnel. If you ring the bell for people to come and attack the Bishop, what will you expect? Of course, police will come in to restore order. Police is mandated to keep law and order and in a situation like that, do I really need to call police?
The police are doing their work and we have to be thankful that they restored sanity.

You are accused of refusing to guarantee, as the Bishop of Arua, for treatment in Italy of your predecessor Emeritus Drandua, saying there was no money. When he died, Arua diocese made available Shs43m for his burial. What is the truth?
This is a lie and twisting of information. I was to sign as a guarantor for his treatment in India. Italy proved difficult because they could not give him Visa and there was no hospital ready to admit him.
Secondly, the (Italian) embassy told us that the hospital admitting the Bishop was supposed to write a letter proving that 30 per cent of the cost of treatment had been paid to them. Since we had no admission, getting the letter proved futile.
We changed our plans and resorted to India. I instructed Fr Alfred Asiku and he got a hospital in India.
They asked for CT scan of the late Bishop Emeritus Drandua which was sent, they described his sickness and put a cost of US$ 25,000 (Shs82m) which we had by then. They put a condition for a guarantor to sign that in any case the cost of treatment rises, that person will pay and I said I will sign for the Bishop.
The hospital administration put another condition that we had to first carry out a medical test on the Bishop for a particular disease, which was technical for me to understand, before he could be flown for treatment.
The test was to be carried on September 1, 2016, but unfortunately the Bishop died. This issue that I never cared about the Bishop is totally wrong. I catered for the (hospital) bill all amounting to Shs15 million from the diocese.

We understand Drandua did not formally hand over office to you. True? Did you feel welcome in Arua at all from the start?
I was very happy to go to Arua, when I was appointed. I whole-heartedly accepted. I went to Arua diocese to work and in seven years, I (have) achieved a lot of achievements.
The failure to formally hand over the office never affected my work, I told myself I will do what I can because it’s God project. When time comes for me to leave, I will leave with joy well knowing that I did some work and I will hand-over.

How do you see reconciliation and forgiveness happening especially that both you and your opponents have not demonstrated by action to accept mistakes and work together?
For me I accept everyone, but we must respect the system and accept dialogue. I have always called on those who are opposed to my administration for dialogue but they don’t want. For me I am ready for dialogue and forgiveness.
Some of the priests in this rebellion have apologised.
Is it true that you, through the Papal Nuncio in Kampala, blocked the pension of Emeritus Drandua before he died?
How would I do that? That is an issue between the late Bishop and the Papal Nuncio and I should not be involved in it. What I know is that pension was withheld for some reason, but not that I had something in it.

What next for you?
I will continue with my work (as Arua Bishop). My work is going on. I am still the Bishop of Arua Diocese.

Any final words
Leaders in West Nile should come out with a voice to guide the people. How can this (problem) go on and the leaders fail to speak out?
Others have tried but they need to speak strongly together with one voice. We have reached an era [where] violence must always be rejected.

Andua responds: Odoki is own enemy

“The bishop is good a character in a fairy-tale. He first rejected me to be the chairman organising committee for the burial of Emeritus Drandua, saying I am a wrong person. In his speech at the burial on Septemebr 7, 2016, he singled me out as chairman of the organising committee for successful and wonderful organisation of the burial.
Five days later, he said I am a terrorist.

We are not dealing with an honest man. In my view, he (Odoki) is unsuitable and unfit to be bishop. The office requires someone who is diligent and truthful and he is not. That is why Christians are not impressed with his leadership.

I chaired the organising committees for his welcome and installation (as Arua Bishop); so, I know him very well. Odoki is a liar, concocts information and it is his trademark behaviour to be inconsistent, manipulative and dishonest.

When he runs into problems, he singles out a few so that his ineptitude is not discussed. The second trick is to say he is a foreigner and that is why he is not liked. How many Alurs have settled and grown up in Arua without problems? It’s even now Alurs selling land to Lugbaras (natives).

Odoki intimidates, harasses and suspends priests when they challenge his authority. The behaviour he exhibits is the reason the Christians reject him. He has failed to adapt. He is his worst enemy. His character and behaviour is what lets him down. He must stop blaming anyone, blaming Andua for his woes.

He is panicking because of three issues; the letter in which he claimed we are terrorists because we are taking him to court and he has no defence; during burial on September 7, the family of Drandua in their speech clearly laid the death of the Emeritus on the diocesan leadership, by implication the bishop; and, he is embarrassed by the successful burial arrangement organised by the committee I chaired, which he had rejected.

He wants to claim he is a victim; he must carry his cross. Odoki has no moral authority to lead Arua diocese.