Orthodox to open more churches
Newly consecrated Archbishop of the Metropolis of Kampala, His Eminence Jeronymos Muzeeyi, used his maiden speech to call for political tolerance. PHOTO/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
What you need to know:
- Statistics show that there are 41 brick-and-mortar Orthodox churches and 17 Orthodox medical clinics in Uganda. About 500,000 Ugandans profess to be Orthodox. Many parishes have schools, day and boarding schools.
More Orthodox Churches will be opened in the country under the leadership of Archbishop Jeronymos Muzeeyi, who assumed office at the weekend, a church official has said.
The countrywide opening of more Orthodx churches was announced by Bishop Nektarios Lubega, the Orthodox Vicar of Africa and Bishop of Kampala, while opening a new church in Jinja at the weekend.
The newly-opened Nativity Orthodox church is situated on Kyabazinga Road, 11 kilometres off Jinja-Kamuli, highway.
While commissioning the church, Bishop Lubega also decried the rampant corruption in the country.
“We have gone astray as a people and country so we need renewal to get back to the right way of doing things. Corruption is rampant, service delivery murdered and morals rotting to the extent that Parliament wants to pass a Bill supporting organ transplant after many lives are lost in kidney theft business,” he lamented.
He added that the opening of the new church in the said area is intended to revive the Orthodox faith in the country at large and also act as a shield and guard its members against other mushrooming religions.
Justification
“There are many prodigal Christians who had strayed because the Orthodox Church had relaxed but now with the installation of the new archbishop, we shall be opening up more churches to serve and wake up the Orthodox spirit,” he said.
The cleric cautioned Christians against being driven off track by the mushrooming breakaway faiths, which he said are just out to mislead and exploit them in the name of healing, blessings, and miracles.
New leadership
On Sunday, the new head of the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Muzeeyi, was consecrated at St Nicholas Church, Namungoona, near Kampala.
He became the third Orthodox leader in Uganda after his immediate predecessor, Jona Lwanga, who died last September, and Theodros Nankyama who died in 1997. About 500,000 Ugandans claim Orthodox baptism.
New leadership
Statistics show that there are 41 brick-and-mortar Orthodox churches and 17 Orthodox medical clinics in Uganda. About 500,000 Ugandans profess to be Orthodox. Many parishes have schools, day and boarding schools.
On Sunday, the new head of the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Muzeeyi, was consecrated at St Nicholas Church, Namungoona, near Kampala. He became the third Orthodox leader in Uganda after his predecessor, Jonah Lwanga, who died last September, and Theodros Nankyama who died in 1997.
