Clerics sue for peace in northern Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda, Dec 25, 2004 (PANA) — The Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi Saturday called on his compatriots to work for peace in the war-ravaged
north of the country.

“Endless wars have left many innocent people of God
dead and property worth millions of shillings (dollars)
destroyed,” the Archbishop said in his Christmas sermon
at the Namirembe Cathedral, six-km west of Kampala.

Some 1.6 million people have been displaced while thousands
have be killed in the 18-year-old war between the Kampala
government and the Joseph Kony-led rebel Lords Resistance
Army (LRA) in northern Uganda.

“The focus of my message is on the social concern of
achieving sustainable peace in our communities and
country,” the Archbishop added.

He praised the government for the amnesty it granted the
rebels and expressed the hope that the LRA leadership would
take advantage of the gesture to talk peace.

“Peace is a combined effort that requires each one of
us to put our heads and hands together. Perfect peace
can only come from knowing God,” Orombi explained.

He also described HIV/AIDS as “another continuing threat
that is shaking the world and its effects are enormous
on our communities.”

In his sermon, head of the Catholic Church in Uganda,
Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, also called for peace in
the north of the country.

“We have to use this moment as we rekindle the values
that come with the birth of Christ to understand the
level of suffering wherever human souls are not at peace,”
he told the congregation at Rubuga Cathedral, eight-km
west of the nation’s capital.

Speaking in a similar vein, Islamic cleric Mufit Shiek
Shaban Mubajje urged Ugandans to pray for peace and
sustainable development.

But he said the prayer should not be restricted to northern
Uganda, but for parts of the world plagued by armed conflicts.

Many Ugandan Christians attended Church services to mark
the occasion, while some grocery shops and supermarkets
remained open.