Christian leaders in Uganda are protesting “uneven” coronavirus restrictions they say violate their freedom to worship.
A section of Christian leaders in Uganda have questioned why shoppers can go to a ‘busy market’ downtown Kampala, but worshippers in need of spiritual sustenance cannot pray in a church.
After three (3) months of lock-down, many feel government has failed to provide a precise and satisfactory response regarding plans under way to open places of Worship.
“If indeed the President has a credible, well-represented and functional advisory committee on religious matters,” Prophet Joshua K. Healing of Great Gathering Fellowship in the western part of the country told Uganda Christian news, “aren’t three (3) months adequate to roll out a road map on how to open places of worship?”
Uganda is a religiously diverse nation with Christianity being the most widely professed faith. According to the 2014 census, over 84 percent of the population was Christian while about 14 percent of the population adhered to Islam.
Houses of worship have been closed since early March to prevent large groups of people from gathering in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, as stated by the Head of State H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The Ministry of Health confirmed nineteen (19) new COVID-19 cases on 29th June, 2020, bringing the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in to 889, with 819 recoveries and no death.
For Prophet Joshua K. Healing who on 30th June, 2020 mobilized a peaceful march together with five others in Mbarara, western Uganda, protesting closed Churches, every following Presidential address leaves the majority of Ugandans (religious & non-religious) with more questions than answers.
“We appreciate the initial intentions leading to the closure of worship places, as mandated by the recently amended Public Health Act (1935) in Uganda. Although the stern presidential directives seemed well intended initially, their relevance in a larger societal perspective is continually becoming questionable than welcomed,” Joshua said.
“With government opening Markets, Arcades and Malls across the country, describing churches as being ‘hotspots’ of infection doesn’t sit well even with my 85 year old grandmother,” he said.
“Do we have more of these avenues than churches countrywide? No! Just like the 2002/2003 SARS outbreak, 20019/2010 flu pandemic (With over 1 billion global infections), 2012/2013 MERS outbreak (Last detected in 2018, July); the 2019 coronavirus like the other global outbreaks may not end in the near future, and closing places of worship may not be a sustainable and constitutional mechanism of coping with the pandemic, in the name of ‘new normal’,” he said.
Prophet Joshua K. Healing urges that given the “patience” exhibited by the religious community in Uganda, “we demand government to publicly share a precise road map to open places of worship within a week, as the current situation is becoming unbearable to the religious majority of Ugandans,” he said.
In Tororo District, Pentecostal pastors under their umbrella organization the Body of Christ Churches on Tuesday also petitioned the office of the prime minister demanding the reopening of churches.
Led by Philemon Ongole of the Deliverance Church in Tororo, the pastors proposed a phased reopening of places of worship throughout the country.
Christ’s Heart Ministries International, whose founder, Bishop Isaiah Mbuga reportedly prophesied the pandemic a few years back, also wants places of worship reopened.
Bishop Isaiah Mbuga said that its because of prayers that Uganda hasn’t seen a single death to the COVID 19 pandemic.
“If we were going to die of this disease we would all be dead by now,” he stated.
Bishop Isaiah cautioned that the president is being misguided in regard to this contentious matter.
Former presidential aspirant Dr. Abed Bwanika who is lead pastor at Christian Witness Church in Kampala believes Churches are capable of observing Covid-19 guidelines, a thought contrary to what the President said in his recent address to the nation.
“Now that we have this virus in the population,” Mr Museveni stated last Monday, “opening places of worship will be an added problem.”
“The restriction on religious gatherings should be maintained and re-evaluated in the last phase of lifting COVID-19 restrictions,” President Museveni said.
“The various places of worship by nature attract persons irrespective of their nature, lifestyle and risk profile. Mitigation by use of masks, hand and coughing hygiene may also be difficult to enforce – especially religious ceremonies such as holy communion,” he said.
