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Letter to A Kampala Friend:
By Muniini K. Mulera In Toronto |
Thou shall not separate the church from the state
June 7, 2004
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Dear Tingasiga: My uncle was called Kwat�akanwa Eseiso Egambe. This marvellous Rukiga name means: Hold thy tongue. My father always reminded us of his late brother�s name whenever our youthful enthusiasm led us to offer unconvincing arguments over religious matters. It is a message worth sharing with the royal courtiers in the House of Rwakitura who have been lecturing Ugandan religious leaders about the ecclesiastical limits of their pastoral work. Last year, Mr Fox Odoi, one of President Museveni�s legal aides, advised the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, to stop meddling in his flock�s secular affairs. Odoi told reporters that after a thorough search of the Pope�s pronouncements he had satisfied himself that the Roman Catholic Church had no position on either Presidential or papal term limits. Brother Odoi�s attempts to muzzle the head of the Catholic Church did not work. Last Wednesday, the Uganda Joint Christian Council [UJCC], which brings together the leaders of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Churches, pronounced itself on Museveni�s devious project to succeed himself in 2006. �UJCC is concerned about the proposal to amend Article 105(2) of the Constitution on presidential term limits. We are of the view that this move is not justified,� a statement signed by the bishops said. Clearly the anti-third term forces had established a beachhead in the churches. The spiritual leaders were among the senior commanders in the mother of all political struggles. The reaction from the royal court was swift and predictable. Party spokesman Ofwono Opondo announced that the bishops were �not talking for the Church because the only doctrine they follow and for which they speak is the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible is it written that there shall be term limits or no terms for political leaders.� �Hypocrites in church called priests have always put crowns on thieves called kings. Now that they have chosen to come to the political arena directly, they shall find us there,� Ofwono added. Why didn�t someone urge brother Opondo to hold his tongue before besmirching the honour of his boss? Was the NRM leader not crowned by, among other priests, the late Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga and the late Bishop Festo Kivengere? Those who intend to fight with religious leaders have their work cut out for them. Men like Wamala and Henry Luke Orombi of the Church of Uganda may not be as flamboyant and aggressive as the politicos, but they are formidable opponents. One ignores the scriptures, church history and the role of the clergy in politics at one�s peril. Which reminds me of a little story that Dr Johnson Nkuuhe, MP for Isingiro South, told me last week. An Anglican deacon went for an interview to become a priest. The interviewers were bishops, most of whom were white missionaries. The deacon was not comfortable with English. The interview went like this: Bishop: Deacon Kasamba, have you ever committed adultery? Kasamba: (not sure of the word, but not willing to show ignorance): My Lord Bishop, I am not sure whether I have ever committed adultery, but I am willing to learn! Throughout human history, the church and secular politics have been conjoint twins. The Holy Bible itself is a huge commentary on economic and social issues, on power and politics of the various epochs in which its books were written. In our own era, we have witnessed the important roles played by priests in monumental political struggles in various lands. Examples include Archbishop Makarios in Cyprus; Reverends Abel Muzorewa and Ndabaningi Sithole in Zimbabwe; Cardinal Jaime Sin in the Philippines; Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador; Rev. Alan Boesak and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa; Bishop Alexander Kipsang Muge and Rev. Timothy Njoya in Kenya; Rev. Ian Paisley in Northern Ireland; Reverends Jesse Jackson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell in the United States; and of course Pope John Paul II in the final struggle against communism. Ugandan church leaders have been at the centre of secular politics for so long that most people probably take it for granted that the church is part of the political establishment. The Democratic Party [DP] was founded and funded by the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop Fisher of Canterbury, though already retired from the church, was a powerful behind-the-scenes player during the Lancaster House Talks in 1961 that prepared the transfer of political power to Ugandans. Since then the various competitors for power have sought the support of successive Ugandan bishops and priests. Archbishop Janan Luwum of the Church of Uganda led his bishops in early 1977 in a very courageous protest against the tyranny of Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada�s regime. Luwum was murdered. He is now universally considered a true Ugandan hero. Among the men who attended the Moshi Conference in March 1979 to prepare for a post-Amin Uganda were Father Vincent Okoth, Bishop Festo Kivengere and Rev. Frederick Kefa Sempangi. Museveni, who attended that conference, did not object to their participation. In fact the Museveni years have been one long partnership between the church and the party. Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga was part of the resistance against the Obote II regime. I have been an ear witness to priests and bishops campaigning from their pulpits on behalf of candidate Museveni in the 1996 and 2001elections. So vital is the role of religion in politics that vote-seekers discover their Christian roots, complete with Christian names, just before elections. Prior to at least one election in the last decade, I witnessed the miraculous transfiguration of my great friend Ruhakana Rugunda to David Livingstone Rugunda, and my brother Amama Mbabazi to John Patrick Mbabazi. So when the courtiers bring out their knives in pursuit of clergymen who, like many others, have put their country�s interests above those of Museveni, they do so not because of their belief in separation of church and state but in an effort to silence those who refuse to dance to their master�s voice. Ugandans should ignore these attempts to distort facts and history. Instead they should salute and support the clergy�s decision to stand up to be counted alongside those who seek the triumph of constitutionalism over a personality cult. To his credit, Vice President Gilbert Bukenya is in tandem with public opinion on the right and obligation of the clerics to guide their followers in political matters. While meeting a delegation of Muslim leaders headed by His Eminence Grand Mufti Sheikh Shaban Mubajje of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Bukenya told them that although they were religious leaders, they were the right people to guide their flock on who should be their political leader. Unfortunately for the VP, it was poor timing. He uttered this truth a couple of days before the bishops pronounced themselves on the matter. His only way out is to claim that he was misquoted. Failing that, I am afraid his vice-presidency may be short-lived. |
� 2004 The Monitor Publications
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