Care for retired priests- Archbishop Kaziimba tells faithful
Retired Luweero Bishop Evans Kisekka (in Wheelchair) joined by Archbishop Kaziimba Mugalu, bishops and family friends at Kungu Village in Luweero District on April 23, 2024. PHOTO BY DAN WANDERA
What you need to know:
- Bishop Evans Kisekka served as second Bishop of Luweero Diocese between 1996 and 2014.
The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu has tasked the faithful to take responsibility for the retired priests in their respective communities.
He said retired priests need the love and care exhibited by the faithful as they served, but many remain lonely and barely have the capacity to meet some of the basics including healthcare.
“We are so loved and taken care of while still serving in office as priests, but when we retire, we live a different life. Even those that always checked on you and provided some of the basics disappear. The retired priests should be under your care,” he told the faithful at a thanksgiving service organized for the Retired Bishop of Luweero Diocese Evans Kisekka at his retirement home in Kungu Village, Wobulenzi Town Council in Luweero District on April 23.
Archbishop Kaziimba said the desperate state and loneliness that some of the retired priests go through as undeserving.
“When we are in the office, you get many visitors and friends. They try to find out if you are healthy and have the food at home. This situation is temporary and will change when you retire from office,” he said.
The retired prelate has been battling different health complications since 2019. The health complications left him partially paralyzed and unable to walk on his own. But Archbishop Kaziimba says that despite the healthcare offered by the close family friends, the retired bishop needs to see the different faces visiting him to show love.
“I have moved around the country and visited different priests. The situation is that of desertion by the faithful. We need to pray, offer support that comes in different ways. By just walking to the compound and saying hello, that is enough communication,” the Archbishop told hundreds of guests that took part in the thanksgiving service.
Bishop Evans Kisekka served as second Bishop of Luweero Diocese between 1996 and 2014.
His health has been unstable since 2019 with one complication after the other. Ms Robinah Kisekka, his wife explains that the Church has been supportive through all the health challenges that the retired bishop is going through.
“The retired bishop is unable to walk on his own and possibly talk, but appreciates the care extended to him,” she said.
The former Luweero Diocesan Chancellor and former Justice Minister Prof. Edward Kiddu Makubuya told guests and the faithful that Bishop Kisseka, one of the longest serving bishops at the Diocese served with all his strength and deserves the love and care by the faithful.
The ailing retired bishop is 73 years old and succeeded the pioneer Bishop of Luweero Diocese, Mesusera Bugimbi as second bishop in 1996. He retired as bishop in 2014.
