Let the Pope’s values live on - Deputy Speaker
Former US President Joe Biden interacts with Uganda’s Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, ahead of the funeral Mass of Pope Francis. Photo | Courtesy
What you need to know:
- Mr Tayebwa emphasised the Pope’s legacy of humility, mercy, and bridge-building across faiths
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament has urged political and religious leaders to embrace dialogue and tolerance. While at Rubaga Cathedral to sign the condolence book and convey his mourning message on Friday, Mr Tayebwa emphasised the Pope’s legacy of humility, mercy, and bridge-building across faiths.
“If you cannot speak to your enemies, if you cannot speak to those who disagree with you, then how will you expect peace?”
And if you cannot create peace within your own heart, how will you export peace to others? Let all of us harmonise for a good cause because at the end of the day we are one,” he said. He noted that Pope Francis’ approach to leadership was marked by compassion and inclusion, reminding leaders that meaningful change comes from listening to diverse voices, including opponents.
“He was a strong pillar of pro-life. Whether a child is two days or seven months in the womb, their right to life must be protected,” he said. Mr Tayebwa also highlighted the Pope’s commitment to environmental protection as a powerful wake-up call to world leaders, warning that when humans destroy the environment it retaliates. “He was very clear and surely it is that nature fights back.
If we destroy it, we destroy ourselves, and as we keep his legacy going, let us do more campaigns to facilitate that as a global climate action,” he said. The Deputy Speaker recalled how, even while hospitalised, the Pope joined virtual prayers with war-torn communities like Gaza, showing unwavering support for those affected by conflict. “He made me a better person and a better leader. And I believe he left all of us with a challenge to lead with humility, to listen with open hearts, and to build peace one conversation at a time,” he added. Rev Fr Achilles Mayanja, who welcomed the Deputy Speaker at the cathedral, commended his gesture as a symbol of unity between the Church and national leadership, especially in challenging times. “We are truly grateful for your presence and condolences during this trying moment.
Your gesture of standing with the Church is a true sign of solidarity, and it gives us great comfort to see our national leaders joining us in mourning the Holy Father,” he said. Fr Mayanja emphasised how much the Church values leaders standing in solidarity with faith communities during periods of loss, noting that Mr Tayebwa’s presence offered both comfort and strength to the grieving faithful. Ms Anita Annet Among, the House Speaker, represented the government of Uganda (GoU) during Pope Francis’s burial yesterday. The Pope’s final resting place was the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major basilicas of Christendom in Rome, situated on the Esquiline Hill.
Honouring Pope memory.
“This is not the time to let his values die. Let us serve the underprivileged, let us listen to the cries of the voiceless, and let us embrace those we disagree with. That is how we should honour his memory,” Mr Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
