Police have confirmed the death of one pilgrim who had gone to attend the annual Martyrs day celebrations at Namugongo, graced by Rev Ezenfor Samuel from Ogbaru Diocese, Nigeria.
“She died upon arrival to Kiruddu Hospital. We suspect her blood pressure rose causing her death,” Mr Joseph Mugisa, the director of Fire and Rescue Department said.
Mr Joseph Mugisa said that the dead person could have been in her 50s.
It has also been confirmed that health teams have treated over 1,000 pilgrims especially those who walked long distances. “We also took nearly 100 people who were critically ill, to hospital,” Mr Mugisa further revealed
“Most of them had complication related to high blood pressure, diabetes, headache, stomach ache and fatigue among others,”
On the other hand, Mr Edward Ssekandi, the Vice President of Uganda represented President Museveni who’s was not able to be at the celebrations because of state duties .
He said that the government has already contributed UGX32bn towards the Namugongo project, and that more UGX16.6bn budgeted for next Financial year. He also thanked the Catholic Church for their social support in complementing the work of the government.
Today marks 52 years since the martyrs were canonized & elevated to sainthood by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
Last year, In his homily, Pope Francis honored all the martyrs, noting that they shared the same faith in Jesus and they offer a witness to “the ecumenism of blood.”
Honoring the martyrs is not something to be done only on their feast day, he said, but must be done daily through upright behavior and loving care for others in the family, the neighborhood, at work and in society.
editor@ugchristiannews.com
