Uganda’s Oldest Catholic Church Torched in Suspected Land Feud

Kampala, 13 November, 2024 / 10:51 PM

The leadership and Parishioners of Mapeera Kigungu Catholic church of Kampala Archdiocese in Uganda are counting losses after arsonists set fire on a section of the church in a suspected land feud.

The church building that is reportedly the oldest in the East African nation stands at the site, where the first Catholic missionaries in the country, Fr. Siméon Lourdel and Br. Amans Delmas of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) first arrived in 1879.

The information service of Propaganda Fide, Agenzia Fides, has reported that on November 7, unknown persons entered the church at 10 p.m. and set fire to the left side of the presbytery.

The flames, according to the Monday, November 11 Agenzia Fides report, destroyed valuable religious objects, including priestly vestments, altar chalices, tablecloths and bottles of communion wine.

“The flames were noticed by some believers who raised the alarm so that the fire could be extinguished before major damage was caused,” the report indicates, adding that authorities in Uganda are investigating the incident with the help of surveillance camera footage from the area.

The perpetrators are suspected to have acted in connection with a dispute over land belonging to the church and currently used by some companies, according to the Agenzia Fides report.

The agency has reported that ecclesiastical authorities are planning to build new facilities on this site near Lake Victoria, which would lead to the eviction of those who have settled there without paying rent.

Considered the birthplace of Catholicism in Uganda, Ugandan Catholics have been said to be very attached to this church, to which numerous faithful make a pilgrimage every year on February 17.

The pilgrimage is held to commemorate the landing of the first two missionaries, and the beginning of the evangelization of the country.

Agenzia Fides reports that the church has changed over time, from the mud and reed structure to a building made of bricks and tiles.

According to the information service of Agenzia Fide, the church risks being submerged due to the rising water level of Lake Victoria.