Africa-Press – Uganda. Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha of Mbarara has urged Christians to support the Catholic Church in training priests.
Archbishop Bainomugisha, who was presiding over the ordination of eight priests and 11 deacons at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral -Nyamitanga yesterday, said there are 120 youth who want to join priesthood training centres but cannot due to lack of enough resources.
“We have 120 seminarians to train to priesthood and there are many parishes with only one priest but we would like each parish to have at least have two priests, but we cannot manage it because we do not have enough priests,” the archbishop said.
“Let us pray to God so that he adds us more priests to do his work and give us instruments to train seminarians. To train 120 seminarians every year is a lot of money and there are another 50 who asked to train but we cannot allow them because we don’t have enough resources,” Archbishop Bainomugisha added.
The Minister for Local Government, Mr Rapheal Magyezi, who attended the ordination ceremony, pledged government support towards the development of the Church and asked political leaders to do the same.
“We need to work together with the religious leaders. We need them, they need us because at the end of the day, we are serving the same person, body and the soul. They concentrate so much on the soul matters but the same person needs health, education, roads, food so we need to work together and give them necessary security to their work,” Mr Magyezi said.
He said the Church needs to propose to the government to be included in the national budget for funding so that they are not always affected by crisis like Covid-19 pandemic.
“Should government pay or support religious institutions within the budget just as we do to cultural leaders? We give a budget through the Ministry of Gender to the cultural institutions so, should the government do the same to the faith-based institutions? These are non-governmental so it is not easy to see how to bring them on board but it is a matter for discussion,” Mr Magyezi said. He added: “Let it come on the table and we discuss it because we are delivering on the same mandate. Churches are running schools, health centres and delivering social services. So, what is wrong with having efficient, effective services delivered by these institutions? ”
Mr Magyezi said training of priests is an expensive venture which requires concerted efforts between the religious leaders and Christians.
Mbarara Archdiocese head of laity Gervase Ndyanabo said he would mobilise Christians to contribute towards the training.
Meanwhile, Bishop Callist Rubaramira of Kabale Diocese, who ordained three priests at St Immaculate Rubanda Catholic Parish, advised them to serve Christians.
“Respect the Catholic Church and promote unity among the Christians besides championing development,” Bishop Rubaramira said.
