By Spy Uganda
Mbarara: The unfortunate news from Catholic Church of Uganda is that the Archdiocese of Mbarara led by Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha, formerly served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese since 2005, this week lost a couple of church priests due to deadly coronavirus.
However, there has been rumours around church corners that the number of priests who succumbed to the virus is three contradicting from the church administration’s communication which says they are only two priests.
The Diocese noted through a statement released to the media yesterday by Fr. Charles Lwanga Mutabaruka the Media Relations Officer, that they lost Fr. Paschale Betunga who was buried on Friday 27 November 2020 and Irenaeus Karenzi who died Saturday 28 November 2020.
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Statement Reads;
“We have realized that social media is spreading wrong intormation regarding the death of priests from the Archdiocese of Mbarara.
We have lost two priests not three: Fr. Paschale Betunga who was buried yesterday Friday 27 November 2020 and Irenaeus Karenzi who died today Saturday 28 November 2020 and will be buried on Monday 30 November 2020.
Any other information should be disregarded as rumours.
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While we continue to appreciate your support in these trying moments, we appeal to you to exercise responsibility in sharing any information that you come across.
May the souls of the departed rest in peace. Fr. Charles Lwanga Mutabaruka Diocesan Media Relations Officer”
Key Facts On Archdiocese of Mbarara
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mbarara in Uganda covers an area of 10,980 km² in southwestern Uganda. As of 2003, of the 2.2 million citizens in the area 856,168 are members of the Catholic Church.
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The archdiocese is subdivided into 25 parishes, and has 114 priests altogether. The archdiocese is the metropolitan for the dioceses of: Hoima, Fort Portal, Kasese, Kabale.
The archdiocese dates back to the Vicariate Apostolic of Ruwenzori, which was erected on May 28, 1934 by splitting the Vicariate Apostolic of Uganda.
On March 25, 1953 it was elevated to a diocese and renamed after its principal town Mbarara. 1961 territory was lost to the newly erected diocese of Fort Portal, and again in 1966 to the diocese of Kabale. On January 2, 1999 the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese. Before being an archdiocese the diocese was a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Kampala.
