Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of Oxfam International has said that her comments during the fundraiser for the Archdiocese of Mbarara Development Association (AMDA), an umbrella association uniting all Catholics that hail from Mbarara Archdiocese, were to religious leaders and not about or to the government of Uganda.
Statement follows reports that she (Winnie Byanyima) attacked government upon advising religious leaders not to accept state donations.
“My Mass comments were strictly to Episcopal conf. Lies too get viewers. I can never accuse my Church leaders of being co-opted. You are unable or unwilling to receive nuanced messages. Shame!” She tweeted on Monday.
The women’s rights, democratic governance advocate attended Sunday Mass at Kitante primary School in Kampala where AMDA was collecting funds for the construction of a multipurpose community center which will house the Mbararara Arch Bishop’s residence, a community hall and a multipurpose hall.
It is here that Ms Byanyima advised religious leaders not to accept gifts such as cars from government because the practice would compromise their moral and ethical beliefs.
“Religious leaders are by vocation supposed to be nonpartisan and are called to serve without bias. If they are compromised, they would cease representing the interests of the laity; they would instead represent those of the donors.”
She said if the government channels what it would want to give to religious leaders to public projects, that would ensure “church leaders are truly acting for and on the people’s behalf.”
“If the government wants to promote our projects, let it put the resources in health projects, in schools founded by the church, let it put them in pension funds for our priests.” She said.
She urged the head of the Episcopal Conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama “to took at the issue seriously” and to ask the Bishops to reject personal gifts from the government.
marvin@ugchristiannews.com
