Uganda: Archbishop says some traditional customs a threat to Church

The president of the Uganda Bishops' Conference has said that certain indigenous customs, including polygamy are one of the 'major challenges' facing the Church in his country.

Speaking during his ad limina visit to Rome, Archbishop Matthias Ssekamanya of Lugazi said: "Not all the faithful have completely assimilated the Gospel. This is because the traditional cultures are still very strong. Some of these are incompatible with the Gospel, such as polygamy and certain ancestral religious beliefs."

"Other challenges include the sects, which have significant financial resources and have a strong appeal to young people and people living in modest conditions," he added.

"We do not know where all this money comes from, but we know that these sects have large quantities available to them. We also know that most of the sects present in Uganda come from North America and Europe."

Archbishop Ssekamanya also discussed the devastation wrought by the Lord's Resistance Army. The archbishop said: "The biggest problem is the fact that we have millions of people who have been living 20 years inrefugee camps. We need assistance to rebuild homes and to allow people to resume farming."

Uganda has a population of 28.3 million, of which 44 percent are Catholic.

Source: CISA