Archbishop Kaziimba takes charge of divided Luweero faithful

Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Samuel Kaziimba will continue providing pastoral administration to Luweero Diocese despite the outgoing bishop handing over office.  

Bishop Elidard Nsubuga handed over his pastoral staff to a team from the Provincial Secretariat of the Church who were representing Archbishop Kaziimba yesterday. The head of the Anglican Church is on a visit in West Nile Diocese.

During the ceremony, Central Buganda Diocesan bishop Micheal Lubowa, who represented the archbishop, cautioned the faithful against disunity and advised them to be patient.

“I too feel the pain of having the pastoral staff handed over to me as a bishop’s representative because, under normal circumstances, it would go to a new bishop. But it is also true that the anger and ungodly words that are in our mind do not translate to what the Holy Spirit wants us to do,” Bishop Lubowa told Christians at St Mark’s Cathedral in Luweero District.

He further said the Church has its procedures that govern all activities and it is the reason the archbishop sent him and the team.

“I doubt if you grab the pastoral staff and take it to your own house whether you will become a bishop. It will be a useless stick at your home and perhaps brew more trouble upon your family,” Bishop Lubowa said.
His message was guided to a section of faithful that kept interjecting the abdication programme. 

A section of them were reminding the clergy that they had an elected bishop in the name of Rev Can Kasana and that the top Church leadership had possibly ignored the people’s choice.

Earlier, the Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, Rev Can William Ongeng, guided the Church through the abdication ceremony where the outgoing bishop signed the Act guided by the Chancellor of Luweero Diocese Apollo Makubuya.

“The purpose of our journey to Luweero Diocese is to witness the abdication by the retiring bishop of Luweero Diocese, Elidard Nsubuga. This is in line with article 13 section 1 of the amended Church of Uganda Constitution provisions,” he said.

Other members of the delegation to Luweero included Kampala Diocese assistant Bishop Hannington Mutebi.

In the recently released programme, the Luweero Diocesan nomination committee is supposed to present to the House of Bishops new names for the election of the fourth bishop of Luweero Diocese on July 1. 
The consecration ceremony is scheduled for August 6.

Luweero Diocese is part of the 37 dioceses that constitute the Province of the Church of Uganda. 

The diocese that was carved out of Namirembe Diocese was inaugurated in 1990 with its pioneer bishop being Misusera Bugimbi. 

The diocese takes charge of the Christians from the districts of Nakasongola, Nakaseke, and Luweero.

Why the tension

At the end of the pastoral duties of a diocesan bishop (retirement), the bishop under normal circumstances would be handing over the pastoral staff to his successor. In Luweero Diocese, Bishop Nsubuga, whose term of office expired yesterday, would have handed it over to the fourth bishop of the diocese. This did not happen.

The diocese is currently under a fresh process of nominating suitable candidates for election as bishop by the House of Bishops on August 1 as guided by the Provincial Secretariat after the name of Rev Can Godfrey Kasana was revoked by the House of Bishops on June 28 at their retreat in Hoima District. 

While the House of Bishops clearly stated that the name of the Bishop-elect Kasana was revoked for misrepresentation and lack of integrity, a section of the Anglican community in Luweero Diocese seem not convinced with the explanation from the men of God. 

Shortly after the House of Bishops on April 3 announced the election of Rev Can Kasana as the 4th bishop of Luweero Diocese, the Provincial Secretariat received a petition signed by Mr Kenneth Kikabi against the election

The petitioners in their lengthy petition pointed out a case of infidelity that they claimed to have overwhelming evidence. This paper could not ascertain whether the case formed part of the decision that saw the Rev Can Kasana nullified by the House of Bishops on June 28.