Archbishop Odama’s last phone call with Lwanga

Archbishop Odama, who expressed shock at the sudden death of his colleague, said he reached out to him through a telephone conversation and they spoke at length.

“I called to wish each other a happy Easter and to encourage him in our work. I didn’t suspect anything wrong [in his tone]. He didn’t complain of anything. If he (Lwanga) was feeling sick or tired, he would have told me because we spoke frequently and freely. So, it was a great shock [to hear that Archbishop Lwanga had passed on] and it was too soon [that he was gone],” he said.

Lwanga’s death sent shockwaves among Ugandans, with many questioning the cause of his death.  Both bishops and politicians tasked the government to thoroughly investigate the cause of his death and make the report public. 

Archbishop Odama, however, appealed to Ugandans to desist from questioning God’s plans since his colleague’s death was beyond human wisdom. 

“It (the death) is a very big shock to me. We take it as God’s plan and we cannot get angry with God. We cannot question Him on ‘why have you done this’’? It is like a babysitter, you cannot get angry with the mother of a baby because she is the mother,” he said.

About Lwanga’s succession
With the death of Archbishop Lwanga, there lies a leadership vacuum in Kampala Archdiocese, which must be filled. Already, the Vicar General, Msgr Charles Kasibante, is the interim administrator of the Archdiocese.

The process for selecting candidates for the episcopacy normally begins at the diocesan level and works its way through a series of consultations until it reaches Rome. 

It is a process bound by strict confidentiality and involves a number of important players – the most influential being the apostolic nuncio, the Congregation for Bishops, and the Pope. It can be a time consuming process, often taking eight months or more to complete. 

Archbishop Odama said while a new archbishop may not be appointed immediately, the Nuncio will initiate a conversation with the Vatican on how to handle the issue of either appointing an apostolic administrator or a diocesan administrator.

“In such cases, the Nuncio will try to communicate with the Pope [about] what should be done. There may be a diocesan administrator, who could be one of the consultors and priest within the diocese, or the Pope may appoint an apostolic administrator, as substantive bishop designated to oversee the diocese,” he said.  

How an administrator is elected
The college of consultors elects an administrator within eight days after the see has been declared vacant. 

The college must elect as administrator, a priest or bishop who is at least 35 years old. If the college of consultors fails to elect a priest of the required minimum age within the time allotted, the choice of diocesan administrator passes to the metropolitan archbishop or, if the metropolitan see is vacant, to the senior by appointment of the suffragan bishops of the ecclesiastical province.

If a diocese has a coadjutor bishop, the coadjutor succeeds immediately to the episcopal see upon the previous bishop’s death or resignation, and there is no vacancy of the see. The see also does not become vacant if the Pope appoints an apostolic administrator.

Before the election of the diocesan administrator of a vacant see, the governance of the see is entrusted, with the powers of a vicar general, to the auxiliary bishop, if there is one, or to the senior among them, if there are several, otherwise to the college of consultors as a whole. 

The diocesan administrator has greater powers, essentially those of a bishop unless barred by the law. Canon law subjects his activity to various legal restrictions and to special supervision by the college of consultors. 

[email protected]