The Uganda Episcopal Conference is concerned about the extreme circumstances challenging the family today.
According to the Catholic Bishops of Uganda, technological advancement or modernity generally threaten the building and sustaining of families which has come with, high cost of living, education, health care and other social services; violence, inadequate or lack of parental guidance and misconstrued concept of human sexuality.
This has caused a number of families to disintegrate leaving children with fewer options for parental support and upbringing. In some cases this has caused disillusionment on the part of children and greatly affected their development, while some parents have, out of frustration, turned their anger on innocent children, dumping them in latrines at the roadside, many others are brutalized by careless and frustrated parents.
This was contained in the Christmas message for the year 2024 and blessings for the New Year come 1st January 2025, where the Catholic Bishops through their Chairman Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Antony Zziwa further noted the social, political, economic and environmental contractions that continue to hamper progress towards attaining a prosperous, united, peaceful and democratic society.
The rising unemployment among the youth, suspicion and hatred among political actors, interference with lawful activities of some political groups and growing poverty levels in many households in Uganda are a cause to worry.
Bishop Zziwa pointed out the Catholic Church’s social arm CARITAS that has tried to make a change in peoples livelihood despite of the meager financial resources.
He said government officials mandated with the programs aimed at empowering citizens to fight poverty like Parish Development Model out to account for the funds committed per parish and to each family that government puts at Shs 100 millions and at least One Million Ugandan Shillings per family to change their livelihood.
Caritas has specifically supported agriculture by planting coffee and food crops and rearing of cows and pigs to raise family income, contribute to nutrition that has changed the family setting with children who used to be malnourished have improved health wise and parents have money that has supported their purchasing power making the families stable and attractive unlike before when poverty was at its peak in most of the families.
In this Christmas tide everyone is encouraged to pray for the country Uganda to overcome its challenges and for the family the appropriate polices and laws enacted to protect it must be enforced.
Bishop Zziwa reminded the Catholics of the Jubilee Year 2025 as announced by Pope Francis starting December 2024 to December 2025. During this Jubilee year we are called upon to be pilgrims of hope and renew our relationship with God, neighbour and the rest of the creation (Rom.8:22).
All the 19 dioceses are encouraged to draw appropriate plans for this period so that believers may derive maximum spiritual renewal, growth and benefits.
By Jjunju Francis
23rd December 2024
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