Archbishop Kaziimba urges Christians to stop protesting against church projects

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Dr. Stephen Kaziimba has asked believers to desist from dissenting with priests who tell them to contribute towards church development projects saying it is for their own benefit.

He accused the members of the Anglican church of protesting on several new programmes initiated by the priests in the church yet the same initiatives are for their own good and development.

According to Kaziimba, although priests ask the believers to contribute, the projects belong to their church and the clerics will always leave them when posted in different respective areas.

Citing the experience during his tenure as the Bishop of Mityana Diocese, the primate narrated the resistance and questions that priests face whenever they attempt to bring about development but he appealed to the believers to desist to allow them develop.

The Archbishop appealed to the churches to continue contributing and buying shares to clear the pending debts for the benefit of their dioceses. He said that previously, the church had a debt of Shillings 60 billion but it has since reduced to less than Shillings 15 billion.

Dr. Kaziimba explained that the contributions by the churches and dioceses is for their own benefit because after the debt repayment, the province shall pay back to the respective churches also to redevelop their projects like health centers, education facilities as well as remunerating the priests.

The Archbishop made the remarks in Mpigi town at the commencement of his two days’ official pastoral visit in Central Buganda Diocese. Led by Central Buganda Diocesan Bishop Michael Lubowa, the Archbishop commissioned a health facility in Mpigi town, visited former Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA Eng. Peter Ssebanakita and held prayers with believers at St Paul Bessania Church of Uganda.

Bishop Lubowa said that during his pastoral visit, Dr. Kaziimba is expected to commission a number of projects including; Kasaka Child Development Centre and Kasaka Maize Milling factory, a retirement home for one of the priests. Other projects to be commissioned are; Kasaka coffee and crop farm, Diocesan animal farms in Gomba district.

According to Bishop Lubowa, the projects are part of the church’s role to empower the community in terms of economic activities and that families will benefit because problems like domestic violence will not prevail due to resource availability.

Based in Gomba district, Central Buganda Diocese is one of the 5 dioceses identified for the pilot arrangement to benefit from the Shillings 2 billion donations from the government through the National Agriculture Advisory Services-NAADS to implement agriculture programs.

The projects are in line with a memorandum of understanding signed on March 24 this year between the Church of Uganda and the government through Naads to strengthen agriculture production in the province. Eng Sebanakitta commended the Archbishop for the good work of saving the church from the huge debt burden through mobilization.

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