Uganda: African bishops urge pope to visit Uganda again

Kampala – The African Bishops under their aegis, the Symposium of Bishops' Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), and the Episcopal Conference of Uganda (UEC), the 39th Assembly of Catholic Leaders, invited Pope Francis to visit Uganda again.

The visit scheduled for late July, according to official accounts and top sources in the church, will coincide with SECAM's Golden Jubilee celebrations. The year's celebrations were launched yesterday at Rubaga Cathedral in Kampala

SECAM was a midwife in 1969 by the African Bishops gathered in Kampala by the resolution of the Second Vatican Council to build a structure to bring together Catholic churches on the continent.

Pope Paul VI presided at the inauguration of SECAM in 1969 in Kampala during his first trip to Africa.

SECAM Treasurer, Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana, Charles Gabriel Palmer Buckle, told the Daily Monitor: "It's just that Pope Francis invited." (See the interview below.)

"The Holy Father John VI inaugurated the SECAM, so how can we celebrate 50 years and we do not invite Pope Francis while we are here? he is already in your country (Uganda)? "Archbishop Buckle and 20 other bishops from the eight SECAM regional groupings were in Kampala last week to draw the Golden Jubilee Roadmap and also the kick-off celebrations.

Monthly thematic celebrations will be held in all Catholic dioceses the continent until July next year. The theme of this month's celebrations was "Church-Family of God in Africa, Celebrate Your Jubilee, Proclaim Jesus Christ Your Savior."

Next Visit

Mgr. Buckle says they will be back in Kampala from July 20th to July 29th next year for the last Golden Jubilee celebrations. At least 600 bishops will participate in the event

"We are still planning most activities, but when we come back here, we hope to have gathered, among other things, the history of the Catholic Church in Africa, a strategic pastoral development plan, as some of the highlights of the last 50 years and for us to open to the next 50 years of evangelism, "he said.

has not yet confirmed the second visit of Pope Francis to Uganda, Watch that the pope already has a planned trip to Africa and it is likely that a brief stop in Kampala will be added to his itinerary.

Pope Francis was in Uganda for a three-day official visit in November 2015. He was the third The pope will visit Uganda after Pope Paul VI in July 1969 and Pope John Paul II in February 1993.

Sources have revealed that bishops cath UEC oliques had received the invitation of Pope Francis last month during a visit to the Vatican. Mbad yesterday at the Cathedral of Rubaga, Arc Bishop John Baptist Odama, who is also the president of the UEC, described the "obligation" to organize both the l & # 39; 39; inauguration of SECAM and the next jubilee celebration as "the honor of Uganda"