Thinking Anglicans

a news item from Kenya

The Sunday Vision has a news report headlined Mutebi opens secretariat:

KABAKA Ronald Mutebi has appealed to Ugandans and especially church leaders never to allow religion to divide them.

The Kabaka, flanked by Nnabagereka Sylvia Nagginda, made the remarks on Friday when he officially opened the sh300m Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat offices at Namirembe.

The new structure houses the office of the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, that of the provincial secretary, plus an 100-seater fellowship hall, among others.

Mutebi castigated men who sit back and leave the women to toil for their families and the nation and appealed to the clergy to use their pulpits to preach work ethics.
Mutebi pledged the support of Buganda to the Church.

Orombi was given an award of $25,000 (about sh45m) by Americans for not supporting homosexuality. He also received an award of $30,000 (about sh54m) from friends in Singapore. All the money was used on the extension of the Provincial secretariat offices.

Other funding was from friends and well wishers within the country. Orombi commended the Baganda for being excellent communicators.

He stated, “The Baganda were the first recipient of the Gospel of the Lord. Out of this central point the gospel spread to the rest of the country. This is a great responsibility and a great challenge to all Baganda.

The Bishop of Namirembe Samuel Balagadde Ssekkadde appealed to Ugandans to avoid selfish tendencies arguing that Orombi would have spent the money on personal issues.

He also urged Ugandan to desist from adultery and witchcraft. The function was attended by the majority of the Anglican bishops across the country, Msgr. Wynand Katende who represented the Catholic leader among others.

Published on: Saturday, 23rd June, 2007

There is also an earlier unrelated story, Ankole, Muhabura get new bishops.

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Lapinbizarre
Lapinbizarre
16 years ago

“Orombi was given an award of $25,000 (about sh45m) by Americans for not supporting homosexuality. He also received an award of $30,000 (about sh54m) from friends in Singapore. All the money was used on the extension of the Provincial secretariat offices.” Those keen on Biblical precedent might consider the name “Field of Blood” for the new building. “Award” is a nice expression. More information in the “Sunday Vision” on who in the US bought the archbishop would be of interest.

Pluralist
16 years ago

Could this be one of the contenders for the new geographical centre of Southern Anglicanism? Is there to be an electoral college to decide, the Harriet Harman way, or no election at all, the Gordon Brown way?

Tobias Haller
Tobias Haller
16 years ago

I hope this will silence (or at least quiet) the voices of those who insist it was offensive to suggest that American money has or had anything to do with the positions taken by Primates either at Lambeth or over the last few years.

thomas+
16 years ago

Well… As it appears that in Uganda there are no Anglicans living in squalor, everybody seems to have plenty of food, and Malaria and HIV/AIDS have all been taken care of, it seems fitting to use the money to build a “Provincial Palace.” I wonder if they got the blueprint from Iraq…

Charlotte
Charlotte
16 years ago

And bought him so cheaply, too, Lapinbizarre.

Steve Lusk
Steve Lusk
16 years ago

Liberals will doubtless see this as a corrupt quid-pro-quo, but it is simply a return to true financial orthodoxy, as practiced everywhere before 1532. Besides, everyone knows you can’t buy an archbishop. You have to rent them.

JCF
JCF
16 years ago

Simon, could you give us an interpretation of this story?

Prior Aelred
16 years ago

What Lapinbizarre said — I am reminded of the perceptive words of a wise man, “They are proudest of something of which they should be ashamed.”

Martin Reynolds
16 years ago

“The election of Tibesigwa follows the rejection of two brothers, the Rev Dr. Wilberforce Kamukama and the Rev Dr. Grace Karamura, who had been nominated to replace Kyamugambi.”

Does anyone know more about what happened to Wilberforce’s and Grace’s nomination? Please get in touch.

NP
NP
16 years ago

So, you guys are absolutely sure this is accurate i.e. the money was directly for support on a particular issue? If this report was about TEC money getting support for TEC ….. I expect some of those commenting above would be saying “prove it” and “how do we know?” and “is the source accurate?” and “is the money directly linked to any issue or is it part of general aid?” (but no such questions above! pathetic) I knew Rev Dr Grace Karamura when he was doing his pHD at my college in Cambridge….a fine man – many on TA would… Read more »

Martin Reynolds
16 years ago

No need for further information – as asked above!

I now understand from Grace that this is NOT new – but part of a very long-running story that I thought had been settled last year. My mistake.

It is exceptional to note that both Grace and his brother were the two nominations last year for this diocese – they are both outstanding men. Grace withdrew because he thought that at 44 he was too young!!

Just to put the record straight – Grace read for his M. Phil at Robinson College, Cambridge and received his Doctorate from Leeds.

NP
NP
16 years ago

Sorry, I meant MPhil at Cambridge – it was great to have Grace in the CU back then.

Ford Elms
Ford Elms
16 years ago

“many on TA would not like his biblical views based on scholarship!” As opposed to what, NP? This business of a HSFF telling the rest of us we don’t have any faith and our beliefs are not based in the Gospel is really a bit much. If you have no respect for others, why should we have any respect for you or your position? What I find most humourous is the fact that you react with such sadness at my stereotypes of fundamentalists, then go on to behave in exactly the fashion I was talking about! If you want to… Read more »

Pluralist
16 years ago

NP – be careful. You are eroding your anonymity…

NP
NP
16 years ago

For example, what behaviour do you mean reinforces your stereotypes, Ford? If it is not being willing to read “do not” to mean “do” just to please some people, sorry, I cannot help but reinforce that one…..and that applies to greed and pride etc etc before you go for that red herring……no hypocrisy (even and especially my own!) is justifiable. Pluralist – I like using meaningless initials because I think debate is better when people focus on the point being made rather than the person…..eg see how people focus on ++Akinola too much rather than the issues in the AC.… Read more »

mynsterpreost (=David Rowett)
mynsterpreost (=David Rowett)
16 years ago

Re: anonymity. It does cut both ways. Dropping anonymity enables others to see better where the author is coming from and (as NP says) may cause them to interpret a mailing differently.

An extreme negative example would be to discover that a mailing supporting a hard-line LBTG point of view came from Peter Tatchell, or that something hymning the virtues of factory farming came from Bernard Matthews (supplier of factory-farmed poultry to the UK masses). PErsonally, except in cases of necessary anonymity, I prefer to know who’s out there, even if it increases slightly the risk of ad hominems.

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