Church of Uganda
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2008-07-12T02:23:33Z
Johnpacklambert
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{{Anglican Portal}}
The '''Church of the Province of Uganda''' (or '''Church of [[Uganda]]''') is a member church of the [[Anglican Communion]]. Currently there are thirty-one [[diocese]]s that make up the Church of Uganda, each one headed by a [[Bishop]].
Each diocese is divided into [[Archdeacon]]ries, each headed by a Senior [[Priest]]. The Archdeaconries are further subdivided into [[Parish]]es, headed by a Parish Priest. Parishes are subdivided into sub-parishes, headed by [[Lay Reader]]s. As of the 2002 Census, 8,782,821 Ugandans (35.9% of the population) consider themselves affiliated with the Church <ref>2002 Uganda Population and Housing Census, Bureau of Statistics (PDF) [http://www.ubos.org/2002%20Census%20Final%20Reportdoc.pdf]</ref>.
The current [[Metropolitan Archbishop]] is the Bishop of Kampala, the Most Reverend [[Henry Luke Orombi]].
==History==
[[Image:Church of the Province of Uganda.png|thumb|left|Church of the Province of Uganda]]
''The primary source for this section is listed in the '''References''' section below'' <ref>[http://www.ugandamission.org/ugandan_church_history_window.html History of the Church of Uganda]</ref>
===Early developments (1877 - 1897)===
Shergold Smith and C T Wilson of the [[Church Missionary Society]] (CMS) were the first European Anglican missionaries to Uganda when they arrived in June 1877. They along with others who arrived later were based in the court of the [[Kabaka]] of [[Buganda]] near present day [[Kampala]].
[[Mutesa I of Buganda|Kabaka Mutesa I]] was known for his brutality and used the rivalries of the [[Anglicans]], [[Roman Catholics]] and [[Muslims]] against each other to try to balance the influences of the powers that backed each group. His successor, [[Mwanga II of Buganda|Kabaka Mwanga II]] took a more aggressive approach by expelling missionaries and insisting Christian converts abandon their faith on pain of torture or death.
In 1885, three Anglican Ugandans were killed and the arriving Archbishop of the Province of Eastern Equatorial Africa, [[James Hannington]], together with his party were arrested, detained and later executed at the orders of the Kabaka. [[Joseph Mukasa]], a Roman Catholic priest and an official of the Bugandan court rebuked the deed and was arrested and beheaded. This was the precursor to the large scale persecutions and killings between 1886 - 1887 of both Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Those who were killed in that period are remembered as the [[Martyrs of Uganda]].
This incident brought about the interference of [[Imperial British East Africa Company]] who backed a rebellion against Mwanga II by Christian and Muslim groups. Mwanga II was eventually overthrown in 1888 and was replaced by his half brother [[Kiwewa of Buganda|Kiwewa]]. Kiwewa himself was overthrown by the Muslim faction in the court and was replaced by his Muslim brother, [[Kalema of Buganda|Kalema]]. British forces forced Kalema to abdicate and restored the throne to Mwanga II who in 1894 acceded to Uganda's status as a British [[East Africa Protectorate|protectorate]]. These incidences guaranteed the long term viability of the Anglican church in Uganda.
===Diocese of Uganda (1897 - 1961)===
[[Alfred Robert Tucker]] was made the third bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa in 1890 and in 1897, the diocese of Uganda was carved out and Tucker became the first [[Bishop of Uganda]]. In 1893 the first Ugandans were ordained and Buganda was established as a centre for evangelisation in the Great Lakes Area. One of the most celebrated indigenous Anglicans of that period is [[Apolo Kivebulaya]] who is also known as the ''Apostle to the Pygmies'' for his work among the [[Pygmy]] people in eastern Congo.
Anglican growth in Uganda thrived by the turn of the 20th century and among the most notable contribution of the Anglican church was in the area of education. The first elementary schools were established in the 1890's. In 1913, the Bishop Tucker Theological College was established in Mukono and this institution was eventually expanded into what is now today the [[Uganda Christian University]] <ref>[http://www.ucu.ac.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=222&Itemid=56 About Uganda Christian University]</ref>. Likewise the CMS took a lead in public health with the establishment of the Mengo Hospital in 1897.
Tucker proposed controversial measures to the Church constitution that would grant considerable power to the indigenous Anglicans in what was known as the Native Anglican Church. These radical proposals were opposed by the missionaries which resulted in a church hierarchy that was primarily expatriate until the independence of Uganda decades later. The domination of the CMS, and its later offshoot [[Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society|BCMS]], led to a [[low church]] tradition in the Church. [[Revivalism]] was also made a hallmark of the Church with the outbreak of the [[East African Revival]] that began in Rwanda in 1936.
In the 1950s, the emergence of a generation of Ugandan Church leaders began to replace the expatriate hierarchy. [[Festo Kivengere]], who later became the Bishop of [[Diocese of Kigezi|Kigezi]] in 1972, travelled to Europe as an evangelist for the first time. As an international figure he was a joint founder of [[African Evangelistic Enterprise]].
===Province of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi (1961 - 1980)===
In 1961, the growth of the Church of Uganda was recognised in the Anglican Communion with the establishment of the Province of Uganda and Rwanda-Urundi (later Province of Uganda, [[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]]). The incumbent [[Bishop of Uganda]], [[Leslie Brown]], was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province. Brown was succeeded in 1966 by the first Ugandan Archbishop, [[Erica Sabiti]].
Relationships between the Anglicans and Roman Catholics that have been strained since the fighting of 1892 saw a new turn with the establishment of [[Uganda Joint Christian Council]]. This has included the small [[Orthodox Church of Uganda]].
In 1971, [[Idi Amin]] gained power in a [[1971 Ugandan coup d'état|coup d'etat]] and was initially greeted with enthusiasm by the general population of Uganda. The brutal and corrupt nature of the regime became evident soon and with the consecration of [[Janani Jakaliya Luwum]] as the new Archbishop in 1974, the Anglican Church became more outspoken in opposition to the policies of Amin. This led to the 1977 execution of the Archibishop on Amin's orders <ref>"[http://www.ugandaobserver.com/new/archives/2006arch/features/spec/feb/spec200602161.php Not even an archbishop was spared]", Weekly Observer, February 16, 2006</ref>.
===Province of Uganda (1980 - present)===
The overthrowing of Amin in 1979 saw the gradual resumption of normal life in Uganda although peace remained elusive in northern Uganda with the insurgency by the [[Lord's Resistance Army]] (LRA). In 1997, Winifred Ochola, the wife of the first Bishop of [[Kitgum]] was killed by a landmine planted by the LRA. Bishop Ochola has however continued to be committed in working towards peace and reconciliation in northern Uganda <ref>[http://www.unight.org/about/directors.htm Unight Board of Directors]</ref>
In 1980, Rwanda and Burundi were elevated to a separate province. The Church of Uganda has been active in working towards the recovery and rehabilitation of the country. The Church of Uganda has also played an active role in promoting AIDS awareness and prevention in Uganda. As a result of these efforts and others in the country, Uganda has begun reversing the effects of AIDS on her society <ref>[http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no1/151aid12.htm UN : Africa Recovery : Uganda beating back AIDS]</ref>.
The Church of Uganda has been active in the leadership of southern hemisphere churches who have agreed to provide pastoral oversight and support to new Anglican churches in North America in the ongoing [[Anglican realignment]].
On September 2, [[2007]], the Uganda church consecrated an American bishop, John Guernsey of Virginia, to oversee many of the U.S. parishes that it supports.<ref>[http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2007/10/5/Church-of-Uganda-Consecrates-Two-Bishops Church of Uganda Consecrates Two Bishops]</ref> This action was opposed by the [[Episcopal Church]] (TEC), the U.S. arm of the [[Anglican Communion]]. The Anglican Church in Africa is theologically conservative and deeply opposed to what it views as departures from orthodoxy in TEC, for example the ordination of gay priests.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6974731.stm BBC NEWS, Uganda church anoints US bishop]</ref>
==Dioceses==
''The primary source for this section is referred in the '''References''' section below'' <ref>[http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/province.cfm?ID=U1 Anglican Communion : Church of Uganda]</ref>
{| border="0" width="100%"
|-
|width="50%" valign="top"|
* [[Diocese of Ankole|Ankole]]
:The Rt Revd [[George Tibeesigwa]]<ref>[http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2007/10/5/Church-of-Uganda-Consecrates-Two-Bishops Church of Uganda Consecrates Two Bishops]</ref>
* [[Diocese of Bukedi|Bukedi]]
:The Rt Revd [[Nicodemus Engwalas-Okille]]
* [[Diocese of Bunyoro-Kitara|Bunyoro-Kitara]]
:The Rt Revd [[Nathan Kyamanywa]]
* [[Diocese of Busoga|Busoga]]
:The Rt Revd [[Michael Kyomya]]
* [[Diocese of Central Buganda]]
:The Rt Revd [[Jackson Matovu]]
* [[Diocese of Kampala|Kampala]]
:The Most Revd [[Henry Luke Orombi]]
* [[Diocese of Karamoja|Karamoja]]
:The Rt Revd [[Peter Lomongin]]
* [[Diocese of Kigezi|Kigezi]]
:The Rt Revd [[George Katwesigye]]
* [[Diocese of Kinkizi|Kinkizi]]
:The Rt Revd [[John Ntegyereize]]
* [[Diocese of Kitgum|Kitgum]]
:The Revd [[Benjamin Ojwang]] (Bishop Elect)
* [[Diocese of Kumi|Kumi]]
:The Rt Revd [[Thomas Edison Irigei]]
* [[Diocese of Lango|Lango]]
:The Rt Revd [[John Charles Odurkami]]
* [[Diocese of Luwero|Luwero]]
:The Rt Revd [[Evans Mukasa Kisekka]]
* [[Diocese of Madi & West Nile|Madi & West Nile]]
:The Rt Revd Dr. [[Joel Obetia]]
* [[Diocese of Masindi-Kitara|Masindi-Kitara]]
:The Rt Revd [[Stanley Ntagali]]
|width="50%" valign="top"|
* [[Diocese of Mbale|Mbale]]
:The Rt Revd [[Samwiri Namakhetsa Khaemba Wabulakha]]
* [[Diocese of Mityana|Mityana]]
:The Rt Revd [[Dunstan Bukenya]]
* [[Diocese of Muhabura|Muhabura]]
:Vacant
* [[Diocese of Mukono|Mukono]]
:The Rt Revd [[Elia Paul Luzinda Kizito]]
* [[Diocese of Namirembe|Namirembe]] ([http://www.namirembe.anglican.org website])
:The Rt Revd [[Samuel Balagadde Ssekkadde]]
* [[Diocese of Nebbi|Nebbi]]
:The Rt Revd [[Alphonse Watho-kudi]]
* [[Diocese of North Kigezi|North Kigezi]]
:The Rt Revd [[Edward Muhima]]
* [[Diocese of North Mbale|North Mbale]]
:The Rt Revd Daniel Gimadu
* [[Diocese of Northern Uganda|Northern Uganda]]
:The Rt Revd [[Nelson Onono-Onweng]]
* [[Diocese of Ruwenzori|Ruwenzori]]
:The Rt Revd [[Benezeri Kisembo]]
* [[Diocese of Sebei|Sebei]]
:The Rt Revd [[Augustine Joe Arapyona Salimo]]
* [[Diocese of Soroti|Soroti]]
:The Rt Revd [[Charles Bernard Obaikol-Ebitu]]
* [[Diocese of South Rwenzori|South Rwenzori]] ([http://www.southrd.org/ website])
:The Rt Revd [[Jackson Nzerebende Tembo]]
* [[Diocese of West Ankole|West Ankole]]
:The Rt Revd [[William Magambo]]
* [[Diocese of West Buganda|West Buganda]] ([http://www.westbuganda.anglican.org/ website])
:The Rt Revd [[Samuel Cephas Kamya]]
|}
==See also==
*[[Martyrs of Uganda]]
*[[Bishop of Uganda]]
*[[Anglican realignment]]
==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>
==External links==
*[http://www.coupdr.co.ug/ Church of Uganda] (This website was unavailable on 16 August 2007)
*[http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/province.cfm?ID=U1 Anglican Communion Office website]
*[http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6002 Article by Archbishop Orombi outlining his view of Anglicanism]
{{Anglican Churches}}
[[Category:Anglican churches|Uganda]]
[[Category:Christianity in Uganda]]
[[Category:Christianity in Africa]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1961]]
[[Category:Members of the World Council of Churches|Uganda]]
[[de:Kirchenprovinz Uganda]]