The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda the Most Rev. Dr. Steven Kaziimba Mugula says the Church will this year not congregate at the Martyrs’ Shrine in Namugongo to commemorate the death of the Uganda Martyrs.
Kaziimba made the statement while delivering his Sunday Sermon this morning at his residence at Namirembe.
Both the Anglican and Catholic church hold annual celebrations on 3rd June to honor the martyrdom of 45 young men who converted to Christianity between 1885 and 1887 to the annoyance of the then Kabaka Mwanga II of Buganda, who ordered that they are burnt to death.
Every year, millions of pilgrims from within and outside Uganda descend on Namugongo, the site where the majority of the converts were martyred, in celebration of their bravery.
Now according to Kaziimba, the Coronavirus pandemic experienced by the world has changed things from usual to unusual. He says that like the unusual celebration of Easter at home, this year’s Martyrs’ day will also be celebrated in homes.
“We will not be traveling to Namugongo because the Coronavirus is deadly and people usually travel from far and the virus also likes traveling. People travel from Tanzania, Kenya and other places….so we will celebrate the day in our homes,” said Kaziimba.
His statement comes just days after the Catholic Church few days ago cancelled the 2020 Martyr’s Day feast due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Church equally noted that the COVID-19 had affected preparation plans, movement of pilgrims and stringent restrictions on public gatherings.
Rev Fr. Ronald Mayanja, the Masaka Diocesan communications director confirmed the development made by the Masaka diocese which had been chosen by the Uganda Episcopal Conference – UEC to organize this year’s celebration.
In a letter addressed to all members of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa, the conference’s chairperson, re-echos the need to postpone the feast as the right decision given the prevailing circumstance which has made worship and celebration of the Eucharist, sacraments and other liturgical-pastoral activities very difficult.
“The position of Masaka Diocese should be understood in light of the fact that organizing the celebrations requires frequent meetings. It demands unfettered movement of persons. Above all. with the virus still alive in many countries including Uganda, it is not certain when restrictions on gatherings and movements will be lifted,” observed Bishop Zziwa.
The martyrs day feast is not the first religions feast to be affected, this year Christians across the world observed Easter celebrations from their homes due to the changed mode of prayer in the wake of COVID-19, with all denominations, bending the rules, rituals, and patterns of praying.
Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised several countries to close public places like schools and places of worship among others as a precautionary measure to avoid spread of the virus.
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As I’m seeing this picture of archbishop, there’s no social distance at all! they said not more than ten people so now how many are they?many people have big headed they can’t follow directives from ministry of healthy that’s why you see such crowd. maybe they know that they can’t die that’s why they’re still joking. the problem we’re facing here we don’t have curfew and total lockdown as European countries did.Uganda is a blessed country because since it started to be announced in our country no one has died that’s why they minds less about it. they’re going to be fools like other countries who are protesting because of lockdown but still people are dying like flies.to protest that’s abnormalities it seems working is more valuable than soul.its madness to protest what if you die and leave back what you’ve been fought for who will gain?