Archbishop Lwanga warns Govt officials against grabbing church land

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Archbishop of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has warned of the growing menace of government officials grabbing church land.

Speaking at the 54th Anniversary Day of Kampala Archdiocese on Sunday at Rubaga Cathedral, Archbishop Lwanga said lessons should be learnt from past governments that had not only given land to the Catholic Church, but ensured that it is also protected from grabbers.

Without divulging details, Archbishop Lwanga narrated a recent incident where he was shocked by the existence of a fraudulently processed new land title on a piece of church land.

He said that land grabbing is not an isolated evil affecting the country, but in addition to other evils like murders and corruption, has exposed the dangers facing the country if leaders do not act swiftly to change the situation.

Lwanga also used the celebrations to appeal to the Ugandan government to consider allowing churches with enough space like that of Rubaga, to increase the number of congregants allowed so long as they follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Lwanga narrated the history of the church in Kampala, that started before  Kampala Archdiocese was formed 54 years.  It was formed in 1966 October 30 with Emanuel Cardinal Wamala as its first Archbishop.

Before that time, there existed Nsambya Diocese which harbored the Mill Hill missionaries and the Rubaga Archdiocese where Brother Lourdel Mapeera was situated.

After Uganda getting her independence, Pope Paul VI questioned the logic behind having an archdiocese and a diocese in the same area and he ordered the merge of Nsambya Diocese and Rubaga Archdiocese, leading to the formation of the current Kampala Archdiocese.

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URN