THE Uganda Catholic Bishops have requested the Vatican to set the minimum age of marriage at 18 in accordance with the national Constitution. The 28 bishops, who held their annual plenary at St Augustine’s Institute in Nsambya, discussed issues and challenges facing the Catholic Church and the nation.High on the agenda was the issue of fixing the minimum age of marriage. A reliable source yesterday told The New Vision that the Catholic Church policy fixes the minimum age of marriage as low as 15.
The source added that it was a contradiction to the national law which considers girls below 18 as minors.
The Episcopal conference, chaired by the Rev. Dr. Mathias Ssekamanya, the Bishop of Lugazi diocese, spent a full day studying the matter.
“We have discussed the issue and submitted our views to Rome for approval,” read a declaration, issued by the bishops at the end of the plenary.
Efforts to get a reaction proved futile as the various bishops contacted said they were waiting for the Vatican decision before revealing details of their proposal.
The bishops also discussed the situation of prisons in the country. They said they were appaled by the inhuman conditions in the prisons.
They urged each diocese to link up with relevant departments and the Catholic Secretariat to get a solution to problems concerning the relatives of prisoners and the field of justice, peace and reconciliation.
The people will be drawn from the archdioceses of Kampala, Gulu, Tororo and Mbarara.
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