Catholic Church dragged into Mpuuga-NUP war, parliament corruption

A Christian believer in Gulu City has written to the Kampala Archbishop expressing concerns over the fight against corruption in the country that he feels the Roman Catholic Church is abrogating.

In a June 10 letter addressed to Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere, Francis Ojok, a teacher and a Catholic faithful from Gulu Archdiocese, said the Catholic Church should not involve itself in a thanksgiving prayer for the former Leader of the Opposition Mathias Mpuuga, citing recent reports of corruption scandals strapped to his laces.

“Every day, we wake up to a new corruption scandal involving billions of shillings which should be helping Ugandans. The voice of the Catholic Church must become louder in condemning this vice that has crippled our nation in many sectors,” Ojok’s letter reads in part.

Ojok said involvement of the Catholic Church in the thanksgiving ceremony for the former leader of position would amount to ‘sanitizing corruption scandal,’ compromising the moral principles of the Catholic Church.

“The chairperson of the organizing committee, Abed Bwanika, informed the nation that the Catholic Church would preside over that mass. As a Catholic, I am concerned that such an act would drag the church into the centre of this scandal and compromise its position as a moral voice in our society,” says Ojok.

Ojok adds:”One of the persons at the centre of this scandal is the former Leader of Opposition, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, who allocated himself half a billion shillings (Shs500 million) in that bonanza.”

Ojok argues that the money could have been used for improving the quality of service delivery, citing refurbishment of Masaka Regional Referral Hospital and other health facilities in the country.

“Even at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, finding services like X-rays and CT-Scans is a problem. Instead of the Leader of the Opposition raising such issues in Parliament, Mpuuga decided to enrich himself at the expense of poor taxpayers,” says Ojok.

The letter, received by the Kampala Archdiocese Chancery – Lubaga, also questioned the silence of the Catholic Church in the recent reports of corruption within the government agencies. Ojok said the church should not be used as a hiding place for the corrupt.

“There have also been questions as to why the Catholic Church, which has always been vocal on matters of morality, has this time been conspicuously silent on this one. While the church has a duty to shepherd all the flock, it also has a duty to stand up for morality and uprightness. For the church to provide leadership on these fronts, it must not be used as a hiding place for the corrupt,” reads the letter.

Ojok says the Bishop and Catholic priests should instead restrict themselves to gracing functions where those accused of corruption display repentance, followed by apology to the taxpayers.

“The Catholic Church risks losing its credibility as a voice of morality if it is seen to condone corruption and give cover to persons seeking to sanitise themselves after stealing from the poor,” says Ojok.

The much anticipated thanksgiving is being seen by observers as a political launch pad for his walk after falling out with the National Unity Platform over the controversial shs 500m service award.