The ordinary of Fort Portal diocese, Rt Rev. Bishop Robert Muhiirwa Akiiki, was yesterday elected a member of the council of Catholic University of East Africa [CUEA].
The election exercise, was at the end of AMECEA Plenary, where bishops re-elected the previous office bearers.
There-election, seeks the previous office bearers, to continue guiding the region in realizing its mission of evangelization through inspiring and empowering God’s family.
Concerning AMECEA Institutions, Rev. Fr. Prof. Stephen Mbugua Ngari of Kenya remains the Vice Chancellor CUEA ,where Bishop Muhiirwa is a council member of the same university.
The plenary assembly, further appointed Bishop Anthony Zziwa, Kiyinda- Mityana’s ordinary, as a member of AMECEA executive board.
The AMECEA assembly
AMECEA, the association of episcopal conferences of Eastern Africa and the coordinating body of the Catholic dioceses, yesterday successfully concluded a one week conference in Tanzania.
This year, AMECEA met in Dar es Salam from July 9 -18, 2022 under the theme; Environmental on Integral Development.
At the end of AMECEA 20th plenary in Dares Salam Tanzania, on July 17, the Catholic bishops in the Eastern African region, largely attributed the current ecological crisis to man man made activities.
Catholic bishops to steer practical ecological responses
During the closing Mass of the assembly, the AMECEA chairperson, Rt. Rev Charles Kasonde, stated that in the Eastern African region, ecological crisis is on a surge.
He noted, that this is portrayed via negative effects of climate change including droughts, floods and cyclones, among other disasters posing a growing threat to the socio-economic development of countries and to a sustainable future of the people’s livelihood.
In the same plenary meeting, more than 100 bishops expressed deep concern over the rate at which forests are quickly being depleted due to use of firewood, charcoal burning and for infrastructure construction activities while the people are not making enough efforts to replant trees.
The Catholic ordinaries, commended the United Nations Environmental Program [UNEP], governments, dioceses, Catholic associations, and every one taking initiatives to protect the biodiversity such as planting of trees and cleaning the cities.
The Bishops, also reiterated the calls for aggressive environmental sensitization campaign at the basic community level in order to raise awareness.
The men of God have thus pledged to work with their respective governments in their home areas, to restore environmental value as away of curbing down the current ecological crisis.
