Uganda needs help to rebuild after war, combat sects, says archbishop
March 02, 2010
The president of the Ugandan Catholic bishops' conference has asked for international help to rebuild the northern section of his country, which has been devastated by years of civil war. Archbishop Matthias Ssekamanya of Lugazi notes that the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which ravaged the region for 20 years and drove millions of residents into refugee camps, has now shifted its activities to neighboring countries, allowing a tentative peace for northern Uganda. But the refugees remain in need of help to return to their homes and farms and to educate their children, the archbishop said.
Archbishop Ssekamanya-- who is in Rome with the other Ugandan bishops for an ad limina visit-- told the Fides news service that the Church in that African country faces challenges from two different directions in efforts to spread the Gospel. Traditional African faiths remain strong, with their belief in animist myths and in polygamy. Meanwhile new sects have arrived, financed by donors in Europe and America, offering new allure for young people who are not well educated in the faith.
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