Chairman of AMECEA and Archbishop of Addis Ababa Ethiopia H.E. Cardinal Berhaneyesus D. Cardinal Souraphiel was among the guests who witnessed the launch of the National Advent Campaign to prevent domestic violence and promote peace in families, homes and community by the Catholic Bishops of Uganda in partnership with the Irish organizations, Trócaire and Irish Aid on Sunday, November 29th,2015.
The campaign, which was launched in Kampala, will run under the theme of‘Shared decisions, Shared development and Shared happiness,’ and it will be conducted in all parishes of the four Ecclesiastical Provinces which includes Kampala, Gulu, Tororo and Mbarara, during this season of advent. Parish materials and prayer cards for peace will be available in the 25,000 churches across the country as part of this effort to see an end to domestic violence.
“The question of violence isn’t just for Uganda it is a humanity problem,” said the Uganda Episcopal Conference Chairman (UEC), Most Rev. John Baptist Odama who is also the Archbishop of Gulu. “Human beings still have a lot to bear about a fellow human and we have to affiliate ourselves with God to get His mindset to address this issue from the moment of conception.”
Archbishop Odama also thanked the Irish Organizations for their immense support since the inaugural launch in 2010.
The Bishops called upon all Christians across the nation to join them on this campaign to pray for peace and an end to violence. The motto for the campaign was taken from Romans 13:12 ‘Lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.’
Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Ireland H.E Donal Cronin through a representative from the Embassy of Ireland, Aine Denise Doody, sent his message of peace and reconciliation as part of his effort to campaign against domestic violence.
“The message that Pope Francis brought- of peace and reconciliation, of mutual co-existence, of the need to address poverty and inequality, of the need for leadership in the fight against climate change will resonate for some time. As will his message on the importance of family within the society, which makes today’s launch very apt and timely,” Ms. Doody read a section of the message from H.E Cronin.
He emphasized that the Pope’s call for strengthening of family values, his call on men to resist practices that foster arrogance, and resist practices that hurt or demean women are very powerful messages.
The event was also attended by all the Catholic Bishops of Uganda led by His Eminence Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, the Country Director of Trocaire Mr. Ian Dolan, priests and religious and representatives from the UEC and Trocaire among other people.
Over the last five years the embassy of Ireland has been engaging in creating strong partnership with the government, civil society, church and private sector in the prevention and response to domestic violence. The embassy has so far committed €2.5 million between 2010 and 2014 with €200,000 (Ushs754 million) allocated to the UEC.
By Jacinta W. Odongo; Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference