Northern Uganda Anglican Church Bishops have urged government and other well-wishers to unite for the development of St Janan Luwum site in Mucwini- Kitgum district.
Bishops say the matter of developing the memorial site of their spiritual pillar will recognize his values displayed during his time in the service for the nation.
This was during an engagement meeting by the Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Ms Akello Rose Lilly with Greater North Anglican Church Bishops at West Lango Diocese offices in Apac district on Friday.
The Team Leader, Northern Uganda Anglican Bishops who also doubles the Anglican Church Bishop of Diocese of Lango, Prof Alfred Olowa says the development of the site will further promote religious tourism in the region like it happens at both shrines in Namugongo.
“H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in 2015 declared 16th February a national holiday for St Janan Luwum. This is an opportunity to reflect on the life of St Janan Luwum and strive to bring positive change in our lives and the lives of those around us,” Prof Olowa said.
This year’s St Janan Luwum day will be celebrated in Mucwini –Kitgum on the 16th of February 2023 under the theme ‘United for service and Growth’,
The Minister appealed to the Bishops to work as a team (Government and Religious Organizations) not only on commemoration of the national religious days but also on national development agenda such as the inculcation of morals, fight against corruption, holding public officers accountable towards service delivery among others.
“I would like to remind you that under NDP III, you as religious leaders have a big role in mobilizing communities for development,” Minister Akello said.
She however urged all Ugandans that as they consider this day, take a moment and reflect on the seed of good values that St Janan Luwum sowed, water them to grow for a greater, peaceful, and prosperous Uganda.
The Bishops also challenged government over plans to close down the core Primary Teaching Colleges (PTCs) across the country including Canon Lawrence PTC where St Janan Lumum studied and is an icon of international recognition.
According to Bishop Olowa, they have been rubbed as the Bishops of Greater North in a wrong way over this policy of closing the core PTCs.
“First of all, I support government plan to redevelop education and for being able to phase out certain PTCs but Canon Lawrence cannot be phased out. Unfortunately, it has been phased out and no one is coming out clear enough to tell us that it will be retained. Arch Bishop Janan Luwum studied in this PTC and is an icon of international recognition by the worldwide Anglican Church,” Bishop Olowa noted.
He added that “Back home here, President Museveni supports Janan Luwum cause for the faith for which he was killed, and so he declared through Parliament that every 16th February is remembered, as a public holiday. So how does it come about that he is reviewed at the nation but the history of his life and the school where he studied is closed, is razed? There I think we are not thinking correct or thinking right,”
He urged government to reconsider the decision and retain the PTCs. “This is extremely important for the future of this nation, the future of our children and this is something to be debated for so long.”
“For example, I have 187 Primary Schools Church of Uganda Funded, where will I get the teachers? There is even a more complicated issue, we need teachers who are morale formed. In Church schools, we are crying of moral decadence, we need these teachers who are going to form young people, giving them good foundation with morals, now you closing that, where is the future? So this is the moment to re-instate it, to retain it, actually to improve it for the better,” Bishop Olowa added.
At the same meeting, Minister Akello revealed that government has resumed the process of having a Religious and Faith Organization (RFOs) Policy in Uganda.
She says this will be a separate framework that will promote coordination of the spiritual activities of Faith-Based Organizations in the country.
“There is currently lack of a clear policy framework for registration and coordination between Government and RFOs. There is need for a comprehensive and clear framework on how Government can engage and promote RFOs for nation development,” Akello said.
This Policy was first brought to the limelight in 2019 under the supervision of the late Rev Fr. Simon Lokodo but was put at rest as the country got into the general elections and later Covid-19 lockdown.
“This Policy by then my predecessor was handling it before I came to the Ministry but you know the time when the policy was brought, that was the time for politics. So we had to shelve it a bit and when we joined it was time for Covid1-9 but now we are here we are back. There is nobody who doesn’t see that the moral decadency in Uganda is coming too much, in our homes even in the societies, the communities and even at our places of work,” The minister explained.
She added, “We are going to move across the whole country collecting people’s views then after we take it to Cabinet. Cabinet will bring it to Parliament because we want all Ugandans to own this policy and it is for the betterment of all the Ugandans and the future generation.”
Janan Jakaliya Luwum was born in 1922 in Kitgum, Uganda. He served as the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda from 1974 to 1977. Unfortunately, he was assassinated on February 17, 1977.
