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Is God De-voodoolising the witchcraft of the Catholic Church in Uganda?? More Catholic priests rebel against Archbishop Lwanga: Gunfire at Ediofe cathedral, Christians attack bishop’s home
http://watchmanafrica.blogspot.ug/2016/10/is-god-shaking-catholic-uganda-more.htmlRebel Fr Kibuuka ordains priests for breakaway rite
http://observer.ug/news-headlines/47326-rebel-fr-kibuuka-ordains-priests-for-breakaway-rite
Written by Sadab Kitatta Kaaya
Before the charismatic Rev Fr
Jacinto Kibuuka was suspended by Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga in
July, little was known about the Antiochian rite of the Catholic Church.
Now, this branch of Catholicism is
gaining a foothold in Uganda, riding on the influence of priests that
have fallen out with their bishops in the mainstream Roman Catholic
Church.
On Saturday, this group of ‘rebel
priests’, notably Kibuuka, Fr Deogratius Ssonko, Fr Vincent Byansi and
Fr Bruno Muhindo joined Dr Tom Sibayirwa Kiiza, the presiding bishop of
the Antiochian rite in Uganda, to ordain two new priests. The
newly-ordained priests; Sylvester Rwakaikara Adyeeri and Joseph Nkumbya
Birungi had remained at the rank of Deacon for several years, with their
bishops reluctant to elevate them to priesthood.
The ordination ceremony took place at
Mubende High School, located a few kilometres outside Mubende town.
Until the Saturday event, the school fell under the jurisdiction of
Kiyinda - Mityana Catholic diocese where Rwakaikara, its proprietor,
held church responsibilities.
On the eve of the ordination, the bishop
of Kiyinda-Mityana, Anthony Zziwa, visited a nearby church, St Kizito
sub-parish Namagongo, and cautioned Catholics against associating with
the breakaway group. The school is now the seat of the Evangelical
Orthodox Church (branch of Catholicism that follows the Antiochian
rite).
LITURGY
LITURGY
Bishop Zziwa’s threat to deny sacraments
to Christians seen at the event appears to have impacted on the
turnout. By 10am, the scheduled time for the service, a handful of
people had gathered at the venue. Others stood outside the school gate,
looking on with curiosity. But people started gathering in numbers after
identifying some of the nuns.
Confused locals could be heard debating
whether the name Evangelical Orthodox Church suggested this “new
religion” was associated with the Namungoona-based Uganda Orthodox
Church. However, after the mass began, it became clear that the
vestments, order of mass and other liturgical practices are not
different from the practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to Fr Kibuuka, one of the key
differences lies in the fact that the Antiochs don’t block anyone from
taking holy communion so long as they are baptized Christians.
“We don’t discriminate; we don’t have it
that the body and blood of Jesus is for only Catholics who meet certain
conditions,” Kibuuka said.
“So long as one is a baptized Christian, whether a Catholic, Anglican or Pentecostal, they can receive holy communion, and the confession of sins we make at the beginning of mass is enough,” Kibuuka told the congregation at Mubende.
“So long as one is a baptized Christian, whether a Catholic, Anglican or Pentecostal, they can receive holy communion, and the confession of sins we make at the beginning of mass is enough,” Kibuuka told the congregation at Mubende.
In this rite, priests are also allowed to marry.
“It is biblical to be married more than
it is not to be married. Celibacy is a discipline that is only in the
Roman rite...not marrying is not what makes a priest, but it is the
calling from God,” Bishop Kiiza said.
Kiiza has been married to Reena Daurave since 2009. The rite also preaches against consumption of alcohol.
NOT JUDGES
NOT JUDGES
In his homily, Fr Kibuuka took time
castigating his former bosses in the Roman Catholic Church whom he
accused of persecuting some priests under their care.
“Many, including myself, have been
innocently accused to the extent of concocting cases against us but we
are grateful that Bishop Kiiza welcomed us, and counseled us,” Kibuuka
said.
He ruled out the possibility of the
break-away priests going back to the mainstream Catholic Church, telling
the church leaders to repent instead of praying for their (rebel
priests) return.
“They should repent for their evil acts,
it is easy to dress as a priest but act differently. Holding a high
priestly office is not enough when you have a bad heart and engaging in
evil acts,” Kibuuka said.
“A priest should not be vindictive, a
priest should encourage and give comfort to his flock other than
harassing them and stealing from them,” he added.
Kibuuka accused Archbishop Lwanga of turning himself into a judge who determines the true believers.
Kibuuka accused Archbishop Lwanga of turning himself into a judge who determines the true believers.
“One of the 14 charges that were brought
against me was that I was praying for non-Catholics. But who am I to
judge anyone? Am I the one who created the Muslims, Anglicans and all
the others? If Jesus prayed for the Pharisees and Gentiles, who are you
to tell me not to pray for the non-Catholics?” Kibuuka said.
“We are one holy Catholic and apostolic
church, we have the same sacraments, the only difference we have is that
there is no discrimination here. If they deny you any sacraments, here
we will administer them. If they refuse to pray for your dead, we will
because it is not our duty to judge anyone,” Kibuuka said.
The two priests who were ordained went
through Katigondo and Kinyamasika major seminaries but their journey to
priesthood had stalled at the level of deacons, which is the last step.
Rwakaikara had given up hope and eventually got married but remained
committed to the church, while Birungi remained hopeful.
Fr Ssonko, formerly a lecturer at Ggaba National Major Seminary, presented the two deacons for ordination.
“After nine years of suffering and pain
for no reason, I am happy to declare Rev Fr Joseph Birungi a
duly-ordained priest of the Evangelical Orthodox Church,” Bishop Kiiza
announced amid ululations.
Fr Ssonko was in turn declared
bishop-elect during the event. Fr Kibuuka, a former confidant of
Archbishop Lwanga, broke ranks in July after the two parties failed to
agree on how to conduct his popular exorcism activities.Meet Bishop Tom Kiiza, the Antiochian rite head
http://observer.ug/lifestyle/47356-meet-bishop-tom-kiiza-the-antiochian-rite-head
Written by Sadab Kitatta Kaaya
Until last Saturday, October 29, little
was known of the head of the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC), a
splinter group from the Roman Catholic Church that follows the Eastern
(Antiochian) rite of Catholicism.
In fact many adherents of the Antiochian
rite did not know who their presiding bishop was. All they knew was Rev
Fr Jacinto Kibuuka, who fell out with Kampala Archbishop Dr Cyprian
Kizito Lwanga over his charismatic preaching.
Born on December 5, 1976 at Bweera in
Kasese, Dr Tom Sibayirwa Kiiza is the pioneer bishop of the EOC in
Uganda but with churches under his jurisdiction in Benue state, Nigeria
and Texas, USA.
He attended primary school at Kamukumbi
in Kasese between 1983 and 1990. In 1991, aspiring to become a Catholic
priest, Kiiza enrolled at St Mary’s Seminary Virika in Fort Portal until
August 1999 when he joined the Consolanta Missionaries. They took him
to their Kenyan seminary for further formation studies, graduating in
2002 with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies.
He was then posted to Mozambique for
pastoral work for a year, giving him opportunity to travel to Portugal
and South Africa. In 2003, he went back to Kenya and joined the Catholic
University of East Africa (CUEA) for a Master of Arts degree in
Theology, graduating in 2007.
“That is when I crossed to EOC because
my mind and conscience told me I wouldn’t be happy under the Roman
Catholic Church; so, I wrote a letter requesting to be allowed to leave,
and I was allowed,” Kiiza told The Observer. “I was never suspended. I
left on my own and once they accepted my request to leave, I was let
free to serve God in any church.”
In 2008, he enrolled for a joint
Master’s and doctoral program in Religious Studies and Theology at St
James Seminary Florida, USA, which is operated by the Holy Catholic
Church International, and an affiliate of Dayspring Christian
University.
He got his PhD in 2011 two years after
his consecration as bishop of EOU at a low-key function held at a hotel
in Namugongo near Kampala.
“I was ordained on September 17, 2009 by
Archbishop Rodney P Rickard. In fact it is that day that we consider as
the birth of EOC in Uganda,” Kiiza said.
Despite being a bishop of a faction of
the Catholic Church, he got a teaching job at CUEA in 2011 until 2013
when Mountains of the Moon University, Fort Portal, hired him as
academic registrar.
“I am also in community development
running an NGO, Ekisande Rural Development Centre in Kasese. I also run a
number of schools, health centres and orphanage support programs,”
Kiiza said.
Kiiza is married to Reena Daurave from Kerala, India.
