Catholic Bishop of Uganda’s Kasana-Luweero Diocese Appointed Archbishop of Kampala

Kampala, 09 December, 2021 / 9:05 PM

The Bishop of Uganda’s Kasana-Luweero Diocese who has also been serving as the Apostolic Administrator of Kampala Archdiocese since April 2021 has been appointed the Local Ordinary of the Ugandan Archdiocese, which is headquartered in the capital city of the East African country.

The appointment of Bishop Paul Ssemogerere who has been at the helm of Kasana-Luweero Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in June 2008 was made public by the Holy See Press Office Thursday, December 9. 

The Archdiocese of Kampala became vacant following the death of Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga in April. The late Archbishop was found dead in his room the morning of April 3, hours after preaching during the ecumenical Way of the Cross on Good Friday. 

Born in June 1956 in Kisubi in the Archdiocese of Kampala, Archbishop-elect Ssemogerere was ordained a Priest for the same Ecclesiastical See in June 1983. 

As a Priest, the Ugandan-born Archbishop-elect served in various capacities, including Dean of Christ the King Deanery in Kampala Archdiocese, and Vicar General of the Ugandan Archdiocese. 

In June 1983, Pope John Paul II appointed him the second Local Ordinary of Kasana–Luweero Diocese, succeeding Archbishop Kizito Lwanga who had been transferred to Kampala Archdiocese. 

Archbishop-elect Ssemogerere holds a master’s degree in Divinity from St. Francis de Sales Seminary, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the U.S.

He is also an alumnus of St. Mbaaga major seminary at Ggaba where he was in the Seminary's pioneer class.

The Archbishop-elect is expected to oversee the Ugandan Archdiocese that has a population of 1.9 million Catholics and covers 3,644 square kilometers, according to 2019 statistics.

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kampala comprises four suffragan Dioceses of Kasana-Luweero, Kiyinda-Mityana, Lugazi, and Masaka.