Archbishop Lwanga buried, as Ssemogerere takes care of Kampala

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT  |  The Late Archbishop of Kampala Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has been laid to rest, in Lubaga Cathedral, Kampala. Lwanga died in his room at Rubaga, in the precincts of the Cathedral on Saturday. 

The medical team that carried out the postmortem stated that he died of Ischemic heart disease after a blood vessel leading to his heart failed to transmit blood due to a clot that has occurred. Doctors said the condition is hard to detect and that a person’s life can end within three to five minutes when the incident happens.     

He has been hailed for his commitment to the development of the Church and his efforts to ensure better quality of the lives of Ugandans. According to President Yoweri Museveni, the government and Uganda as a whole will miss him for his wise counsel and a practical approach to religion, which saw him transform people’s lives.  

In his message read by Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Sekandi, the president contributed 300 million Shillings towards the costs of the burial.  He added that although the government gave Archbishop Lwanga an official burial for his contributions to national development, this will be accorded to all religious leaders at the level equivalent to an Archbishop.      

The Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II hailed Dr Lwanga for his developmental ideas which he personally shared through the projects he led within the kingdom. Kabaka Mutebi expressed sadness that the Archbishop has died before the commissioning of a museum he had set up at Rubaga hill and named it after Ssekabaka Mutesa I.  The museum was set to be opened in April last year but the program was disrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19.   

While delivering the message, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga said that despite Dr Lwanga being a top religious’ leader, he did not shy away from supporting the traditional and cultural development of the Kingdom. Mayiga said that unfortunately, the way Lwanga died did not give the Kingdom a chance to visit him during sickness.      

Earlier, it was announced that Bishop Paul Ssemogerere of the Kasana-Luwero Diocese will oversee the archdiocese as its Apostolic Administrator until a substantive Archbishop is appointed. This was contained in the Pope’s message to the Church, read by his representative to Uganda, (Papal Nuncio) Archbishop Bianco Luigi.    

The Chairperson of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop Anthony Zziwa, explained that Bishop Ssemogerere remains Diocesan bishop of Luwero and only will govern the diocese in the name of the Supreme Pontiff and coordinate the day to day work of the Archdiocese until the Pope names the new Archbishop.     

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URN