About 400 delegates including Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and others from the African continent and other parts of the world are expected to attend the Africa Bishops Assembly Golden Jubilee celebrations in Kampala from July 19-29, 2019.
Pope Francis will be represented by a delegation from the Vatican, according to Father Philip Odii, Director of Communications, Uganda Episcopal Conference/Uganda Catholic Secretariat.
The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) is an Assembly of all African Bishops, who during the Vatican Council II (1962-1965) resolved to build a continental structure in order to unite the Church in Africa and promote collaboration in pastoral ministry.
The Association was officially launched on July 29, 1969 at Lubaga Cathedral during the visit of Saint Pope Paul VI. For this reason, the Uganda Episcopal Conference has been tasked to host and lead the Golden Jubilee Celebrations, and it’s a great honour to the country.
Father Odii has urged media houses to urgently send names of journalists who will cover activities of the event to be hosted at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
Some of the activities to be covered by journalists are; Opening Mass at Lubaga Cathedral, Sunday July 21, 9.AM, Opening Ceremony at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Sunday July 21, 3PM, Closing Ceremony and Mass at the Uganda Martyrs Shrine, Namugongo, Sunday July 28, 9AM and Departure of the Vatican Delegation – Monday, July 29 – Entebbe Airport.
The event comes to Uganda only a few days after Kyambogo University student Robert Asiimwe killed his former teacher and Brother of the Catholic Church Emmanuel Mugarura on allegations the priest had sodomised him for a long time. Police continuen with the investigations into the matter.
