Acholi Religious Leaders Call for Reconciliation, Forgiveness

The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative has called for reconciliation and forgiveness as the country ushers in 2022.

The leaders say as a result of the two-year COVID-19 Lockdown, the heated political period, many people were hurt by their colleagues and have built walls of unforgiveness which has affected their livelihoods.

Speaking during an end of year peace message press conference at the ARLPI Headquarters in Koro, Gulu City, John Baptist Odama, the Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese says this year many people were killed, injured, and affected by conflicts ranging from local land conflicts to wars like in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia among others.

He says for those in war, should be reminded and adhere to the United Nations appeal for global ceasefire which was made in February 2021 where the security council unanimously passed a resolution calling member states to support “sustained humanitarian pause” to local conflicts.

According to Odama, the COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a surge in stigma, discrimination, and hatred, which only cost more lives.

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Bishop James Ochan, of the National Fellowship of Born-Again Acholi Sub-region, says regardless of how much one has been hurt, what matters is forgiveness and reconciliation because then there will be a better peaceful coexistence between the two parties.

Rt Rev Godfrey Loum, the Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Uganda says whereas there is a much bigger need for anyone in dispute, or conflict, or at the verge of war to first consider dialogue because it’s the cheapest way of preventing the end result of any disagreement.