The official announcement of Pope Francis' visit made on the eleventh of September 2015 brought great joy to many Ugandans. We eagerly awaited the Holy Father with our long list of prayer intentions: to pray for our families, to pray for the forthcoming elections, to pray for a reduction in the high levels of poverty and unemployment. Time flies, the long awaited day approached.
On the twenty-seventh of November, Friday, the papal plane touched down at 2:50 pm at the international airport of Entebbe. Joys and cheers filled the faces of Ugandans. All the roads on which the Pope was to travel were filled by thousands of Ugandans standing by the sides of the roads to welcome the third Pope to visit the land of the martyrs, thanks to the Uganda Martyrs.
Unfortunately, The Holy Father left the State house late, but the Ugandans never gave up. They were still on the roads awaiting their beloved visitor. I happened to be one of them. By the time he passed by the road to our seminary it was around 9:00 pm. In his black, small car with lights on, he waved to us. Indeed joy filled us. He later visited the Munyonyo Martyrs shrine before he retired for the day in Mbuya.
Faithful Ugandans lined the roads hoping for a glimpse of Pope Francis.
Early in the morning the following day, we traveled to Namugongo Martyrs shine to participate in the papal Mass. Thousands had spent the night there, including my two young brothers, yet still thousands were arriving, among them myself, along with other seminarians, to usher on that Memorial Day. We arrived at Namugongo at 5:00 am and began preparing for the responsibility given to us on that day.
The pope arrived at 9:30am amidst cheers, and songs in his papal mobile van which moved around. He waved and blessed the thousands of Christians who had congregated at Namugongo. Afterwards we got ready for Mass. A sense of holiness filled the entire environment of Namugongo. The Gloria was sung at its best by all the people around the Pope. The feeling I experienced on that day can’t clearly be explained, it was all awesome. A mixture of English, Latin and local songs were sung during the papal mass, not to mention, the local dances that graced the celebration.
Thousands of people gathered for the papal Mass.
Mass ended at 11:45am when the Holy Father left to prepare himself for his busy schedule which included meeting with the youth at Kololo, visiting the poor and needy at Nalukolongo, and addressing the priests, religious, and seminarians at Lubaga Cathedral. I was part of the audience with the pope at Lubaga. The Holy Father stressed three major aspects of our calling, namely; always remembering what the Lord has done for us, fidelity, and living a prayer life.
The pope left Uganda on the twenty-ninth of November 2015, but the effects of his visit are still felt until now as explained below.
Pope Francis prays at the sanctuary dedicated the the Uganda Martyrs.
The visit of the Holy Father strengthened our faith. The unity of the Catholic Church was felt when the Vicar of Christ visited Uganda. The pope’s messages encouraged and challenged both young and old to revive their faith and witness their faith.
The visit of the Holy Father brought peace and joy into the hearts and families of many Ugandans. His message filled our hearts with hope for a better Uganda amidst our challenges. He invited us to pray for the grace to become messengers of hope.
The Pope‘s visit reminded us of the debt each of us has, the debt of love especially for the poor. He reminded us, that the Gospel commands us to go out to the peripheries of society, and to find Christ in the suffering and those in need. As Christians, we cannot simply stand by. Something must change! Our families need to become ever more evident signs of God’s patient and merciful love, not only for our children and elders, but for all those in need. Our parishes must not close their doors, or their ears, to the cry of the poor. This is the royal road of Christian discipleship, he said.
To crown it all, the pastoral visit of the Holy Father enriched and strengthened us as Ugandans. We felt the presence of Christ and unity of the Catholic Church. In this way the Church in Uganda faces the challenges of the future with sure hope in Christ’s promises.
Ed. Note: The author of this post, Kyazze Frank Lwanga, volunteers his time to work with CARITAS For Children students in our Uganda child sponsorship programs. His seminary studies are supported through CARITAS' Sponsor a Seminarian program.
