Bishop tells parents to shun ‘gay schools’

Lugazi Catholic Diocese Bishop Christopher Kakooza has advised parents to warm up to anti-homosexuality schools to shield their children from anti-Christian practices. 
Bishop Kakooza’s message was read by Mr Francis Ziiwa of St Paul Catholic Parish in Lwanyonyi yesterday. 
The bishop’s counsel comes after a social media post purported to be of a parent whose son was sodomised by a teacher at King’s College Budo recently went viral. Another post alleging that the accused teacher was transferred to another school has also caught the attention of Ugandans of all walks of life. 

Bishop Kakooza asked parents to be eagle-eyed, warning that acts of homosexuality are rife in most boarding schools.  
“Before you take your children to school, first inquire about it,” he said. 
The prelate urged parents to always create a good relationship with their children by talking to them and pointing them in the right direction.  
“If the children are practicing Christian values then homosexuality will be put to an end,” the bishop said.  
He also warned that many churches are nowadays promoting gay activities, with some preachers having been impugned. 

In his message, Mr Ziiwa—the head of St Paul Catholic Parish—hypothesised that the poor pay of Ugandan teachers has predisposed them to homosexuality. 
“Financial problems have led to getting involved in bad acts,” he said, adding, “People are attracted with money and go on sodomising innocent children.”
Last week, Ms Janet Museveni, the First Lady who also doubles as Education minister, ordered a probe into the King’s College Budo sodomy incident. House Speaker Anita Among had earlier instructed that lawmakers get to the bottom of why the impugned teacher was simply transferred to another school without decisively addressing the accusations levied against him.

Mr Frank Mugisha, an activist for sexual minorities, recently said the strong stand of the church on same-sex relationships is encouraging prejudice and bigotry. He also said it is forcing many young people to turn their backs on the institution, adding that many of them have either become agnostics or atheists. Others have turned to more liberal evangelicals. 
“Surprisingly, as far as I read the Bible it tells me that love is such an important canon and a stratum of the Christian faith,” he said, before calling on church leaders to combat prejudice and bigotry.