The Holy Catholic Father, Pope Francis, will not attend the Africa Bishops’ Conference Slated for July 28, 2019 which will take place in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
Earlier reports from Vatican indicated that the Pope had accepted invitation to return to Uganda.
Uganda Episcopal Conference on Thursday issued a statement announcing that the Pope turned down the invitation extended to him through the President of Uganda Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Statement
Dear Fellow Ugandans, in 2018, the Uganda Episcopal Conference on behalf of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAMI, requested His Excellency, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to invite His Holiness Pope Francis for the climax of the Golden Jubilee celebration of SECAM, scheduled for July 2019.
The office of the President of Uganda has officially communicated to the Uganda Episcopal conference that the Holy Father will not he able to attend the Symposium.
The SECAM Golden Jubilee celebration which was launched on July 29, 2018 at Lubaga Cathedral, will however proceed as scheduled.
The opening Mass for the climax of the celebration will be on July 23, 2019 at Lubaga Cathedral and the closing mass will be on July 28,2019 at the Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine in Namugongo.
We are expecting over 400 Bishops from all the Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar.
The theme for the celebration is: “Church, Family of Cod in Africa, Celebrate your Jebilee! Proclaim, Meet and Welcome Christ your Savior.”
SECAM is a fruit of the efforts of African Bishops. who during the second Vatican Council (1962-19651 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 by Saint Pope Paul VI.
