Preparations for the 1993 Papal visit to Uganda
What you need to know:
Holy visit. In February 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Uganda on a trip that saw him hold Mass in Gulu, Soroti, Kasese and Namugongo, on top of meeting the youth at Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium. Alphonse Oseku, a chief government protocol officer from the 60s until his retirement in the late 1990s, was made part of the Catholic Church protocol committee preparing for the visit. He shares his experience of the memorable visit with Saturday Monitor’s Henry Lubega.
I was seconded to the protocol committee of the church during the preparation for the Pope’s visit by one of the officials of the church. I had worked in government protocol for a long time, at one point being the government’s chief protocol officer in the 1970s.
The church protocol committee worked hand in hand with the government’s protocol committee to ensure the smooth preparation for the Pope’s visit. It did not take us too long to draw up the protocol plan for the visit.
At the airport, the Pope was received like a head of state by the President and a guard of honour was mounted. After the airport function, he was whisked away to Kampala in a motorcade befitting a head of state.
During his stay in Uganda, the Pontiff was set to visit different regions of the country. There were other committees in those different parts. The visit to the different regions reduced on the crowds that would have flocked Kampala from all over the country. Gulu represented the north and people moved from as far as West Nile, Kitgum, Lira and other surrounding districts to Gulu and meet him. From Gulu, he flew to Soroti, which represented the whole of the east. Kasese represented those from western Uganda. The climax of the Pontiff’s visit was the mass at Namugongo Shrine in Wakiso District.
The Pope is the head of the Vatican State, but he plays a religious role, not a political one. Nevertheless, he is received in that capacity as a head of state.
Accommodation
However, unlike other political leaders, the Pope had to be housed in Mbuya where his representative, the Pope Nuncio in Uganda, stays. The State agents would come in the morning to get and escort him wherever he was to go, and take him back at the end of the day. Other heads of state normally stay in state-provided hotels. The state provided the transport detail, including the helicopter which took him to all the other regions he visited in the country.
During mass at Namugongo, Pope Paul II personally gave Holy Communion to some believers. As protocol, we selected only 10 people to receive Holy Communion from the Pope. The rest of the people were served by the other bishops and priests. The 10 included the late Prof Bernard Oyango. We were informed about the arrangement and I personally had to stand by to make sure they were the only ones who received communion from the Holy Father.
After the Pope left Namugongo, people rushed to go and touch the chair where he had sat. I had to quickly take it away to safety, otherwise they would have broken it to pieces yet we had to keep it as a souvenir.
I was also at Rubaga Cathedral. I must admit that the Rubaga ceremony was a very marvelous service. One thing I remember about the Pontiff is that he was very down to earth and I am not surprised he is a saint now. He carried himself in a very dignified manner, despite the excitement his presence created among Ugandans.
At one point, he visited Nsambya hospital and we told them [administration] to select a few sick people whom the Holy Father would lay hands on and pray for.
About Pope Paul II
Born. May 18 1920 at Wadowice, Republic of Poland.
Birth name. Karol Józef Wojtyła
Died. April 2 2005 (aged 84) at
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City.
Ordination. November 1 1946
Consecration. September 28 1958
Papacy began. October 16 1978
Papacy ended. April 2 2005
Predecessor. John Paul I
Successor. Benedict XVI