Wednesday, 29 October 2014

MP urges Ntagali to face Museveni on homosexuality law


Archbishop Stanley Ntagali and President Museveni
Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga has challenged religious leaders to speak with one voice and urge President Museveni to support the revival of the annulled anti-homosexuality law. Speaking directly to Anglican Archbishop Stanley Ntagali in Masaka on Sunday, Mpuuga said MPs had the will to fight homosexuality but could not go far without the president’s support.
“But we know you as a man of courage, a man of wisdom. I know for a fact that you can stand up and tell the president to give us his word on this law,” Mpuuga told Ntagali, who was starting his tour of West Buganda diocese. “We are leaders in equal measure but the president remains president.”
Mpuuga, who threw the challenge to other religious leaders as well, spoke after Ntagali had assured Christians that the church and other religions in Uganda would not relent in their opposition to homosexuality.
Last year, Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality  Bill, and President Museveni was locally lauded and internationally criticized for signing it into law.  However, it was annulled in August, court ruling that it had been passed by a House that lacked quorum. Ntagali says it should be re-tabled in Parliament and dully passed.
“When all religious leaders congratulated Parliament for passing the law and President Museveni for signing it, we were not wasting time; but we were rather serious and meaning what we were talking about,” Ntagali said at Kijjabwemi Church of Uganda in Masaka municipality.
The archbishop said the church did not hate homosexuals, only wanted to rescue them from ‘immorality’.

Church house

Ntagali also urged the Christians to support the Church house project on Kampala road, which he said was nearing completion.
“But we all must own it by buying shares at a cost of Shs 100,000 each in order to gain from its profits,” he said, adding that Mityana diocese had already contributed Shs 15m while Mbale donated Shs 16m towards the project.
A hastily-arranged  fundraiser for the project realised Shs 9m in cash and pledges, adding to the Shs 5m earlier collected from Lyantonde. Ntagali, flanked by West Buganda Bishop Godfrey Makumbi, wedded seven couples and confirmed some 300 children.
Ntagali will tour several parishes and projects in West Buganda diocese, ending at  Kako cathedral in Mukungwe sub-county on October 30.



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