This evening, shortly after 7:30pm, the Holy Father, Pope Francis arrived at the Shrine of Munyonyo, the place where, in 1886, the first four martyrs of Uganda were killed: among them, Saint Andrew Kaggwa, the patron of Ugandan catechists. Welcomed by the Conventual Franciscans who run the Shrine, the Pope blessed the cornerstone of the new church.
The meeting with catechists and with teachers from the National Council of Laity took place in the yard outside the Shrine. Following words of welcome offered by the Archbishop of Kampala, His Excellency, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, and by the National Coordinator of catechists, Pope Francis spoke the following words:
Dear catechists and teachers,
Dear friends,
I greet you all with affection in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Teacher.
Teacher! What a beautiful title this is! Jesus is our first and greatest teacher. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus gave his Church not only apostles and pastors, but also teachers, to enrich the entire Church in faith and in love. Together with the bishops, the priests and the deacons, who have been ordained to preach the gospel and to take care of the Lord’s flock, you, as catechists, have a prominent role to play in bringing the Good News to every village and household in your country. You have been chosen for the ministry of catechists.
First of all I want to thank you for the sacrifices that you and your families are making, and for the zeal and devotion with which you carry out your important task. You teach what Jesus taught, instructing adults and helping parents to raise their children in the faith and to share with all people the joy and the hope of eternal life. Thank you, thank you for your dedication, for the example that you offer, for your closeness to the people of God in their daily lives and for the many ways in which you plant and cultivate the seeds of faith throughout this vast land! Thank you especially for teaching children and young adults how to pray, because this is very important: it is a big job to teach children how to pray.
I know that your work, though gratifying, is not easy. Therefore, I encourage you to persevere, and I ask your bishops and priests to help you by providing you with doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral formation so that you can be even more efficient in your work. Even when the task seems onerous, resources too few and obstacles too large, it will do you well to remember that yours is holy work. I want to emphasize this: your work is holy. The Holy Spirit is present wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed. He is among us every time we lift our hearts and our minds to God in prayer. He will always give you the light and the strength you need! The message that you share will take root more and more deeply in the hearts of others, so much so that you will not only be teachers, but also witnesses. This is another important thing: you should be teachers, but this is useless unless you are also witnesses. May your example allow others to see the beauty of prayer, the power of mercy and of forgiveness, and the joy of sharing the Eucharist with all our brothers and sisters.
The Christian community in Uganda has increased in major part, thanks to the witness of the martyrs. They gave witness to the truth that sets us free; they were willing to shed their blood in order to remain faithful to what they knew to be good, beautiful and true. We are here today in Munyonyo, in the place where King Mwanga decided to eliminate the followers of Christ. He did not succeed in this endeavor, just as King Herod did not succeed in his attempt to kill Jesus. The light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not prevail (cf Jn 1:5). After having seen the courageous witness of Saint Andrew Kaggwa and of his companions, Christians in Uganda became even more convinced of the promises of Christ.
May Saint Andrew, your patron, and may all the martyred catechists of Uganda obtain for you the grace of being wise teachers, men and women whose words are filled with grace, with convincing witness to the splendors of God’s truth and the joy of the gospel! Witnesses of holiness! Go fearlessly into every city and village in this country, without fear, to spread the good seed of the Word of God, and trust in his promise that you will joyfully return, with sheaves from an abundant harvest.
I ask you all, dear catechists, to pray for me, and to ask the children to pray for me.
Omukama Abawe Omukisa!
May God bless you!
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Pope symbolically planted and watered a tree of unity, a gesture which was carried out along with the help of the Archbishop and some representatives of other Christian confessions, recalling the ecumenical dimension of the Martyrs of Uganda. His Holiness then blessed a new statue of Saint Andrew Kaggwa, which has been installed at the place of martyrdom.
The Holy Father then traveled by car to the Apostolic Nunciature in Kampala.
At the Nunciature, Pope Francis met this evening with the President of South Sudan, His Excellency, Mister Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The meeting with catechists and with teachers from the National Council of Laity took place in the yard outside the Shrine. Following words of welcome offered by the Archbishop of Kampala, His Excellency, Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, and by the National Coordinator of catechists, Pope Francis spoke the following words:
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to Ugandan catechists
Dear catechists and teachers,
Dear friends,
I greet you all with affection in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Teacher.
Teacher! What a beautiful title this is! Jesus is our first and greatest teacher. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus gave his Church not only apostles and pastors, but also teachers, to enrich the entire Church in faith and in love. Together with the bishops, the priests and the deacons, who have been ordained to preach the gospel and to take care of the Lord’s flock, you, as catechists, have a prominent role to play in bringing the Good News to every village and household in your country. You have been chosen for the ministry of catechists.
First of all I want to thank you for the sacrifices that you and your families are making, and for the zeal and devotion with which you carry out your important task. You teach what Jesus taught, instructing adults and helping parents to raise their children in the faith and to share with all people the joy and the hope of eternal life. Thank you, thank you for your dedication, for the example that you offer, for your closeness to the people of God in their daily lives and for the many ways in which you plant and cultivate the seeds of faith throughout this vast land! Thank you especially for teaching children and young adults how to pray, because this is very important: it is a big job to teach children how to pray.
I know that your work, though gratifying, is not easy. Therefore, I encourage you to persevere, and I ask your bishops and priests to help you by providing you with doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral formation so that you can be even more efficient in your work. Even when the task seems onerous, resources too few and obstacles too large, it will do you well to remember that yours is holy work. I want to emphasize this: your work is holy. The Holy Spirit is present wherever the name of Christ is proclaimed. He is among us every time we lift our hearts and our minds to God in prayer. He will always give you the light and the strength you need! The message that you share will take root more and more deeply in the hearts of others, so much so that you will not only be teachers, but also witnesses. This is another important thing: you should be teachers, but this is useless unless you are also witnesses. May your example allow others to see the beauty of prayer, the power of mercy and of forgiveness, and the joy of sharing the Eucharist with all our brothers and sisters.
The Christian community in Uganda has increased in major part, thanks to the witness of the martyrs. They gave witness to the truth that sets us free; they were willing to shed their blood in order to remain faithful to what they knew to be good, beautiful and true. We are here today in Munyonyo, in the place where King Mwanga decided to eliminate the followers of Christ. He did not succeed in this endeavor, just as King Herod did not succeed in his attempt to kill Jesus. The light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not prevail (cf Jn 1:5). After having seen the courageous witness of Saint Andrew Kaggwa and of his companions, Christians in Uganda became even more convinced of the promises of Christ.
May Saint Andrew, your patron, and may all the martyred catechists of Uganda obtain for you the grace of being wise teachers, men and women whose words are filled with grace, with convincing witness to the splendors of God’s truth and the joy of the gospel! Witnesses of holiness! Go fearlessly into every city and village in this country, without fear, to spread the good seed of the Word of God, and trust in his promise that you will joyfully return, with sheaves from an abundant harvest.
I ask you all, dear catechists, to pray for me, and to ask the children to pray for me.
Omukama Abawe Omukisa!
May God bless you!
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Pope symbolically planted and watered a tree of unity, a gesture which was carried out along with the help of the Archbishop and some representatives of other Christian confessions, recalling the ecumenical dimension of the Martyrs of Uganda. His Holiness then blessed a new statue of Saint Andrew Kaggwa, which has been installed at the place of martyrdom.
The Holy Father then traveled by car to the Apostolic Nunciature in Kampala.
At the Nunciature, Pope Francis met this evening with the President of South Sudan, His Excellency, Mister Salva Kiir Mayardit.
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