Religious leaders in East Africa have welcomed the launch of an international ecumenical chapter in Uganda. The chapter under the theme “Healing the Wounded Historyâ€, will create a platform for reconciliation among politicians, religions and communities who have for long been suffering as a result of conflicts and disputes in the country.
Religious leaders in East Africa have welcomed the launch of an international ecumenical chapter in Uganda.
The chapter under the theme “Healing the Wounded History”, will create a platform for reconciliation among politicians, religions and communities who have for long been suffering as a result of conflicts and disputes in the country.
The Ugandan chapter falls under the International Ecumenical Fellowship (IEF), a grassroot platform bringing together Christians from all traditions to worship, pray and study together.
Speaking at the launch at Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara on Thursday, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, His Grace Stanley Ntagali, challenged leaders to respect each other and focus on issues that unite them for purposes of peace and development.
The Archbishop noted that the platform has come at the right time when majority of the African societies are living apart as a result of tribal conflicts, religious differences, wars and different cultural norms and values.
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Ntagali, who took over on December 16 as head of the Anglican Church in Uganda, says during his reign he will engage religious leaders from other denominations to preach to the promoters of homosexuality in Uganda so that they can repent and leave happily with the rest in society.
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Father Martin Onyango from Tanzania, says the platform will help both political and religious leaders in his country to empower citizens seek justice, become peace makers and work to end violence and conflict.
But Onyago says this can be achieved in Uganda if religious leaders from all denominations speak one voice and forget their past differences.
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The Catholic Archbishop of Mbarara Paul Bakyenga said that since most of the leaders in Uganda have lost integrity this kind of unity among religious leaders will help cause change.
Bakyenga noted that absence of leaders with integrity in every society could lead to a leadership vacuum in future since there are no upright people to nurture the young generation into responsible citizens.
Chief Convener, Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa of Ankole diocese said countries like Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Kenya have witnessed a number of political, religious and cultural conflicts. He said a country like Rwanda that witnessed the 1994 genocide that left over 800.000 people dead, needs a special healing process for different ethnic groups to forgive and forget the past.
Mwesigwa says this is the time to heal the long history of disunity in these countries.
Mariam Kabasongora
Guest