The Catholic Church has disowned the recent ordination of 'rebel' priests in Mubende District.
The Chairman of the
Uganda Episcopal Conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, said in a
statement issued on Thursday that the Catholic Bishops of Uganda were
dismayed that 'two self-made bishops' carried out the purported priestly
ordination" on the compound of a school belonging to Mr Sylivester
Rwaka at Namagogo in Mudende District.
On October 29, 2016 two self-made
bishops carried out purported priestly ordination in Mubende Town.
According to the
statement, Fr Jacinto Kubuuka, Fr Deogratius Ssonko and Fr Vincent
Kisenyi Byansi accompanied the said men who also laid their hands on the
two faithful; Sylivester Rwaka and Joseph Bizibu (later on called
Birungi) at the centre of the function.
"The said
ordination event, therefore, was not in accordance with the tradition
and norms of the Roman Catholic Church and we do not recognise it," said
Archbishop Odama, also the head of Gulu Diocese.
He said: "We
instruct our Catholic faithful to shun all events organised by the
self-excommunicated priests and to guard against being misled in faith
and practice by the said priests who are not in full communion with the
Roman Catholic Church."
A group of rebel
priests including Fr Kibuuka, Fr Ssonko, Fr Byansi and Fr Bruno Muhindo
joined Dr Tom Sibayirwa Kiiza, the presiding Bishop of the Antiochian
rite in Uganda, and ordained two new priests; Sylvester Rwakaikara
Adyeeri and Joseph Nkumbya Birungi.