Το Μυστικό Δείπνο! #αγιαπεμπτη
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Uganda. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα Uganda. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων
Παρασκευή 10 Απριλίου 2026
Τετάρτη 9 Απριλίου 2025
Επισκοπή Γκούλου και Βορείου Ουγκάντας: Αγώνας για επιβίωση
† Ο Γκούλου & Βορείου Ουγκάντας Νεκτάριος
Η σελίδα του Συνδέσμου στο Facebook
Η σχετικά νεοσύστατη Επισκοπή Γκούλου και Βορείου Ουγκάντας περιλαμβάνει τριάντα (30) περιφέρειες, από τις οποίες οι περιοχές Γκούλου, Αγκαγκό, Κίτγκουμ, Παντέρ, Λιρά, Οτουκέ, Αλεμπτόγκ, Απάκ, Κοτιντό, Μοροτό, Καάμπογκ, και Νακαπιριπίτ έχουν καταστραφεί από τον πρόσφατο εμφύλιο πόλεμο και είναι από τις φτωχότερες της χώρας.
Η περιοχή Karamoja μαστίζεται από μεγάλη φτώχεια και ξηρασία, ενώ οι περιοχές Acholi και Lango, βρίσκονταν σε εμπόλεμη κατάσταση για αρκετά χρόνια και μέχρι σήμερα οι άνθρωποι προσπαθούν να ξεπεράσουν τις καταστροφικές συνέπειες του πολέμου. Όλα γίνονται πάλι από την αρχή και αυτό οφείλεται στην αγάπη του κόσμου. Οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι σε αυτές τις περιοχές είναι φτωχοί, οι απλές εκκλησίες μας χρειάζονται όλες αναστήλωση, ανακαίνιση η επισκευή, ενώ κάποιες άλλες παρέμειναν ημιτελείς, καθώς η ανέγερσή τους σταμάτησε για διάφορους λόγους.
Από τις πρώτες μέρες της ποιμαντικής μου διακονίας είχα την ευκαιρία να πληροφορηθώ και να δω ιδίοις όμμασι την τρέχουσα κατάσταση του ποιμνίου μου, να μπω στην θέση όλων, να μοιράζομαι τις στιγμές χαράς και δυσκολίας τους, σωματικά και πνευματικά.
Το δύσκολο έργο της Επισκοπής μας επιτελείται σήμερα από ελάχιστους ιερείς, οι οποίοι δεν λαμβάνουν καμία οικονομική ενίσχυση εδώ και καιρό, γεγονός που δυσχεραίνει την οργάνωση και την κατήχηση στις ενορίες. Επιπλέον, λόγω των μεταπολεμικών συνθηκών, οι άνθρωποι έχουν πολλά κοινωνικά προβλήματα (ασθένειες μικρές και μεγάλες, ελλιπής εκπαίδευση, έλλειψη πόσιμου νερού κ.α.). Σε αυτά προστίθενται και οι τεράστιες ανάγκες για πνευματική και ψυχοσωματική υποστήριξη, ώστε το μήνυμα της σωτηρίας μέσω της Εκκλησίας μας να φτάσει σε όλους.
Για τον λόγο αυτό εκφράζουμε για μία ακόμη φορά τις ευχαριστίες και την ευγνωμοσύνη μας προς τον Ιεραποστολικό Σύνδεσμο «Άγιος Κοσμάς ο Αιτωλός» για την πολύτιμη βοήθειά σας στην κατασκευή του πηγαδιού στην Ενορία Αρχαγγέλου Γαβριήλ του χωριού Λόγιο Ανζόγκο της επαρχίας Ομόρο. Το έργο ολοκληρώθηκε πρόσφατα με επιτυχία και οι ενορίτες μας ανακουφίστηκαν, γιατί πλέον οι γυναίκες και τα παιδιά δεν θα κάνουν πολύωρα ταξίδια ψάχνοντας για νερό σε ποτάμια και νερόλακκους. Η χαρά και η ευγνωμοσύνη των ανθρώπων αυτών δεν περιγράφονται. Σας στέλνουν τις ευχές και τις ευχαριστίες τους. Κι εμείς μαζί συνεχίζουμε αδιάλειπτα να προσευχόμαστε για όλους σας.
Επιτρέψτε μου να επωφεληθώ αυτής της ευκαιρίας και να μοιραστώ μαζί σας μερικά από τα μελλοντικά μας σχέδια που χρήζουν άμεσης ενίσχυσης και υποστήριξης για την συνέχιση του ιεραποστολικού μας έργου. Η νέα Επισκοπή μας βρίσκεται αντιμέτωπη με σοβαρές ελλείψεις οικονομικών πόρων για τις βασικές και καθημερινές λειτουργίες της, αλλά και για την κάλυψη των βασικών αναγκών των ανθρώπων που προστρέχουν καθημερινά σ’ εμάς.
Όταν έφτασα για πρώτη φορά εδώ στο Γκούλου, διαπίστωσα αμέσως το μεγάλο πρόβλημα του καταλύματος. Άλλοτε έμενα σε ξενοδοχείο και άλλοτε με φιλοξενούσαν κάποιοι χριστιανοί μας. Η έλλειψη ενός Επισκοπείου δυσκολεύει κάθε δραστηριότητά μας και πρωτίστως την δυνατότητα φιλοξενίας εθελοντών, που επιθυμούν να έρθουν κοντά μας και να μας βοηθήσουν. Πρόσφατα νοικιάσαμε ένα σπίτι, το οποίο λειτουργεί ως Επισκοπείο και ως γραφείο. Ωστόσο, αυτό είναι μία προσωρινή λύση και επείγει να κτίσουμε ένα κτίριο στις εγκαταστάσεις του Ιεραποστολικού μας Κέντρου στον Άγιο Λαυρέντιο, στο Γκούλου, το οποίο θα μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί ως κατοικία, ως γραφείο και ως πνευματικό κέντρο.
Η εκπαίδευση είναι ένας από τους κύριους πυλώνες της Ιεραποστολής. Πιστεύουμε ότι αυτή διευκολύνει την καλλιέργεια της πνευματικότητας στον κόσμο και την αποβολή των συνηθειών του ειδωλολατρικού παρελθόντος. Η Επισκοπή μας προσπαθεί με τους ελάχιστους πόρους της να βοηθήσει με κάθε τρόπο την εκπαίδευση των παιδιών στα λίγα υπάρχοντα σχολεία, αλλά οι συνθήκες γίνονται διαρκώς δυσκολότερες. Ο πόλεμος στη Βόρεια Ουγκάντα, που διήρκησε 20 χρόνια, άφησε πίσω πολλά ορφανά και χήρες, μειώνοντας ταυτόχρονα το εργατικό και παραγωγικό δυναμικό της περιοχής και ανεβάζοντας το επίπεδο της φτώχειας.
Καθημερινά γινόμαστε μάρτυρες της ύπαρξης ενός τεράστιου αριθμού ευάλωτων ανθρώπων, ιδιαίτερα γυναικών και παιδιών. Τα παιδιά συχνά δεν έχουν ούτε τα δίδακτρα, ούτε και τα βιβλία για να πάνε σχολείο. Παράλληλα πρέπει να διασχίσουν ξυπόλητα μεγάλες αποστάσεις, για να φτάσουν στα λίγα υπάρχοντα σχολεία που διαθέτουν άλλες ιεραποστολικές οντότητες καθολικών η προτεσταντών. Έτσι θέτουν την ζωή τους σε μεγάλους κινδύνους, καθώς πρέπει να περάσουν από ποτάμια και ρέματα χωρίς γέφυρες.
Μάλιστα κατά την διάρκεια των έντονων βροχοπτώσεων αναγκάζονται να μένουν στα σπίτια τους για μήνες και αδυνατούν να παρακολουθήσουν τα μαθήματα. Μεταξύ αυτών υπάρχουν και κάποια παιδιά με αναπηρίες. Όλα αυτά αναγκάζουν πολλά παιδιά της Μητρόπολής μας και της χώρας μας να εγκαταλείψουν το σχολείο και να μείνουν αγράμματα.
Σήμερα η Ιερά Επισκοπή μας διαθέτει μόνο ένα Γυμνάσιο και κανένα Δημοτικό Σχολείο. Το Γυμνάσιο λόγω έλλειψης πόρων λειτουργεί χωρίς ρεύμα και νερό, χωρίς κιμωλίες και τετράδια, με λίγα έπιπλα και βιβλία και με πολλά κτιριακά προβλήματα. Αντιλαμβάνεστε, λοιπόν, ότι υπάρχει μεγάλη ανάγκη ίδρυσης και λειτουργίας νέων σχολείων πρωτοβάθμιας και δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης στην εκκλησιαστική μας περιφέρεια.
Αγαπητοί μας αδελφοί, μεγάλη μερίδα του πληθυσμού των πιστών μας αδυνατεί να αντέξει οικονομικά και να αντεπεξέλθει στις βασικές ανάγκες της ζωής (τροφή, ένδυση, στέγη). Μοναδική μακροπρόθεσμη λύση είναι η εκπαίδευση, ώστε οι άνθρωποι να καταστούν αυτάρκεις και να εξασφαλίζουν μόνοι τους τα προς το ζην. Οφείλουμε ως Εκκλησία να σταθούμε δίπλα τους και να τους ενισχύσουμε στον αγώνα της επιβίωσης και της αξιοπρεπούς διαβίωσης. Η στήριξη όλων σας είναι πολύτιμη.
Ταχ. Δ/νση: Orthodox Bishopric of Gulu and North Uganda, P.O Box 817, Gulu, Uganda
τηλ.: +256.754885585 / +30 6970034374
E-mail: kabuyenikolas@gmail.com
Τρίτη 18 Ιουνίου 2024
SUNDAY OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL: AFTERFEAST OF ASCENSION
Troparion of the Afterfeast (Tone 4)
You ascended in glory, O Christ our God, after You filled the Disciples with joy, by promising to send them the Holy Spirit, and You blessed them and established their faith, that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.
Resurrectional Troparion (Tone 6)
When the angelic powers appeared at Your grave, the soldiers guarding it feared and became as dead. And standing by the sepulcher was Mary who was seeking Your immaculate body. You devastated Hades, not afflicted by it. You went to meet the virgin, and granted eternal life. You resurrected from the dead. O Lord, glory to You.
Troparion of the Holy Fathers (Tone 8)
Supremely blessed are You, O Christ our God. You established the holy Fathers upon the earth as beacons, and through them You have guided us all to the true Faith, O greatly merciful One, glory be to You.
📖Matins Gospel John 21:1-14
📖Epistle Reading - Acts 20:16-18, 28-36
📖Gospel Reading - John 17:1-13
See also please
Two voices from Africa about the Sunday of the Holy God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (seventh Sunday of Pascha) Zambia & Zimbabwe
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Uganda Orthodox Church - Holy Diocese of Jinja and Eastern Uganda
In the Orthodox Vineyard of Africa
Κυριακή 16 Απριλίου 2023
Metropolitan Jeronymos Muzeeyi: "Tuleekaanire waggulu nti Kristo azuukidde, buli omu mu Uganda wa ddembe!"
OBUBAKA BWA PASIKA (2023) ERI E’GGWANGA
Abaana bange abaagalwa mu Kristo,
Kristo Azuukidde.
“Nze kuzuukira n’obulamu” (Yok. 11:25).
Yesu Kristo, Mukama waffe era omulokozi, yajja ku nsi okutuwa obulamu obuggya. Obulamu buno obuggya, okusookera ddala, busangibwa mu Katonda, Katonda ow’amazima era omulamu. Wano ku nsi, bwe bulamu bw’abatukuvu.
Kyokka, obulamu buno okusobola okujja, kyetaagisa okumanya obulungi Katonda ow’amazima era omulamu. Kristo yamutubikkulira. Oyo abufunye, ajjudde okwagala era ali mu kussa ekimu ne Katonda ono, abantu banne n’ebitonde. Ekisinga obukulu, obulamu buno obuggya bwesigamiziddwa ku kubeera nga Katonda bw’ayagala, n’okuva ku kibi.
Ekituufu kiri nti awali ekibi, waliwo okufa.
Katonda abeera mu batukuvu atuyita okwenenya buli kiseera tubeere abasaanira obwakabaka bwe obw’omu ggulu, obulamu bwe obutaggwaawo. Wano, Mukama waffe era Omulokozi akissaako akabonero ng’agamba nti “Nze kuzuukira n’obulamu (Yok. 11:25)”, okuyitibwa okwenjawulo eri Abakristiyani Abasodokisi.
Eno y’ensonga lwaki Ekklesia y’Abasodokisi ewa okuzuukira kwa Mukama waffe era Omulokozi waffe, Yesu Kristo, amakulu mangi.
Embaga eno nkulu nnyo ku Kalenda y’Ekklesia y’Abasodokisi. Ye mbaga Ssemabaga, era entabiro z’embaga. Nga balina ekitangaala ekiva mu nsibuko y’ekitangaala, Abakristo Abasodokisi bakuza embaga y’Okuzuukira kwa Yesu Kristo n’essanyu lingi. Kye ssanyu nga buli kimu kijjudde obulamu, obulamu okuva mu ntaana enjereere. Obulamu buno bwennyini kwe kwolesebwa kwa Mukama omulamu afuga. Okuwa buli muntu obuvumu, essuubi, okwagala n'okukkiriza.
Kristo eyazuukira ye byonna era mu byonna. Omuntu atuuka ku buwanguzi ku kufa, mu ngeri endala atuuka ku bulamu obutaggwaawo. Ekklesia ya Kristo, nga gwe mubiri gwa Kristo, y’egenda okututwala mu bulamu obutaggwaawo.
Omuntu kimugwanira okukyalira Kristo ku musaalaba asobole okutegeera obugazi n’obuziba bw’obulamu buno obuggya. Mu mazima, Kristo ku musaalaba ayiwa omusaayi gwe olw’okusonyiyibwa kw’ebibi byaffe. Atununula n’atutabaganya ne Katonda. Ku mulyango oguyingira mu Ekklesia ya Kristo, tuzaalibwa omulundi ogw’okubiri amazzi n’omwoyo.
Mu Klezia, ekyokunywa n’emmere yaffe enkulu, ng’Abakristaayo Abasodokisi, gwe musaayi n’omubiri ebya Kristo. Mu kussa ekimu, tufuna okusonyiyibwa ebibi n’obulamu obutaggwaawo.
Wano omuntu ategeera okuzuukira n’obulamu bwa Kristo okuva mu kussa ekimu, Kristo anaaza omuntu waffe ow’omunda n’obulamu bwaffe n’akyusa obutonde bwaffe. Kristo aggyawo obutwa bw’ekibi n’okuluma kwa sitaani. Tusumululwa era ne tuyingizibwa mu magye ng’abaana ab’obulenzi nab’obuwala ba Katonda, Kitaffe, olw’Ekisa.
Mu kuzuukira kwa Kristo mwe muli essuubi ly'eggwanga eryagalwa Uganda. Nga twolekagana n’okusoomoozebwa kw’eggwanga lyaffe ekulu, batabani ne bawala ba Katonda Kitaffe ab’eddembe, olw’Ekisa, beetegefu era baweereddwa amaanyi n’okwolesebwa kwa Kristo eyazuukira okusitula eggwanga lino okuva waggulu okutuuka ku ntikko. Ekikulu mu kubeerawo kwabwe bwe bubaka bw’okuzuukira. Buba bubaka bwa buwanguzi, buwanguzi ku kufa n’obuwanguzi olw’obulamu obutaggwaawo. Obuwanguzi buno bwa kuleeta mutindo gwo bulamu eri Uganda era ddala eri Bannayuganda bonna. Buba bubaka okwagala mwe kusinga mu kussa ekimu kwaffe ne Katonda, bannaffe n’ebitonde.
Obubaka buno bukkaatiiriza obutuufu bw’omubala gwaffe “Ku lwa Katonda n’Ensi Yange”. Era kiteeka obwawufu bwa Kristo n’okwetongola, ng’omulokozi asobola okutuwa obulamu bw’amazima, wakati mu bulamu bwaffe obw’obuli bw’enguzi, ku nteekateeka y’eggwanga.
Tuzuukusa essuubi lyaffe okusukkuluma ebyo ebinyigiriza obulamu bwaffe. Tuleekaanire waggulu nti Kristo azuukidde, buli omu mu Uganda wa ddembe.
In English:
From Orthodox Uganda about Easter: "In the resurrection of Christ lies the hope for beloved country Uganda - It is a message of victory, victory over death and victory for eternal life!"
Easter Message (2023) by Metropolitan Jeronymos of Kampala
Video from Uganda Orthodox Church - Holy Metropolis of Kampala / Facebook
My beloved children in Christ,
Christ is Risen.
“I am the resurrection and life” (Jn. 11:25).
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, came to earth to give us new life. This new life, is first and foremost, found in God, the true and living God. Here on earth, it is the life of saints. However, for this life to come about, it requires a clear knowledge of the true and living God. Christ revealed Him to us. One who has acquired it, is full of love and is in communion with this God, fellow human beings and creation. Most importantly, this new life is based on living according to the will of God, and away from sin. The fact is where there is sin, there is death. God who dwells in saints call us for constant repentance to be worth of His kingdom of heaven, His eternal life. Here, our Lord and Savior seals it by saying “I am the resurrection and life (Jn. 11:25)”, a special calling for Orthodox Christians.
That is why the Orthodox Church gives the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, a great importance. This feast is extremely important on the Orthodox Church Calendar. It is the feast of feasts, and the center of feasts. With the light from the source of light, Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of the resurrection of Jesus Christ with great joy. It is a joy whereby everything is filled with life, the life from the empty tomb. This very life is the vision of a living reigning Lord. Giving everyone courage, hope, love and faith. Christ resurrected is all and in all. Mankind attains victory over death, in other words attains eternal life. The Church of Christ, which is the body of Christ, is to lead us to eternal life.
One has to visit Christ on the cross in order to grasp the depth and width of this new life. Truly speaking, Christ on the cross sheds His blood for the remission of our sins. He redeems us and reconciles us with God. At the entrance in Christ’s Church, we are born again by water and spirit. In the Church, our chief drink and food, as Orthodox Christians, is Christ’s blood and body. In communion, we get the remission of sins and everlasting life. Here one realizes the resurrection and life of Christ since in communion, Christ cleans our conscience and life and transforms our nature. Christ neutralizes the poison of sin and the bites of the devil. We are set free and drafted as sons and daughters of God, the Father, by Grace.
In the resurrection of Christ lies the hope for beloved country Uganda. As we confront the challenges of our great nation, the free sons and daughters of God the Father, by Grace, are ready and empowered with the vision of the resurrected Christ to raise this nation from heights to heights. Central to their being is the message of resurrection. It is a message of victory, victory over death and victory for eternal life. This victory is to bring about the quality of life for Uganda and indeed for all Ugandans. It is a message where love prevails in our communion with God, fellow citizens and creation. This message justifies our motto “For God and My Country”. And it puts Christ’s uniqueness and exclusiveness, as saviour able to give us true life, in the midst of our corrupt life, to the national agenda. We do re-orientate our hope to surpass the impassable which chokes our life. Let us shout loudly that Christ is Risen, each and every one in Uganda is free.
CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED, HE IS RISEN!
DOWNLOAD THE LUGANDA VERSION OF THE MESSAGE BELOW
OBUBAKA BWA PASIKA (2023) ERI E’GGWANGA
Easter Message From Bishop Nektarios (Kabuye) of Gulu and Northern Uganda
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY, HE IS RISEN!
Dear Brethren,
We celebrate this triumphant event in these words of the Troparion. Christ is Risen!
Resurrected joy is experienced and radiated regardless, of the favorable or unfavorable surroundings, even in conditions of poverty, disease, persecution, war and uncertainty. And we urgently need it right now that everything is set to drown us in the fume of death. This joy multiplies while it offers love where hatred abounds, and hope where despair prevails. Second, “we rejoice in the Lord who crushed the state of death and enlighten the race of men.” Let us draw courage by living the joy of our Church, despite the oppressive problems we faced, despite the trials we are going through. The resurrected Christ has the power to dispel every shadow of hell; to crush the state of death brought about by violence, injustice, arrogance, and the fury of destruction. He offers an insurmountable light to those who believe in and love Him. Christ is Risen, my brethren! “This day has been made by the Lord. We rejoice and rejoice in it. To the pure, transparent truth, that the Gospel has been proclaiming for centuries: Certainty shared by billions of people over the centuries.
This is the characteristic of the Christian experience which defines and incessantly regenerates the believers. Undeniably, this belief is freely accepted or rejected. Christ’s “descend into Hades” proclaims the final dissolution of death and has become a symbol of the Resurrection in the Orthodox Church.
Every believer associated with the suffering and Resurrected Christ lives in his personal life the experience of Psalmist: “Thou shalt not forsake my soul in hell,…You showed me the way to life. Thou shalt fill me with joy when I am near thee.” (Acts 2:27-28 – Psalm 15:10-11). Relying on the unceasing presence of the risen Lord, we can even in the most painful circumstances chant, “O divine, O friend, O sweet voice. With us, I pray onto the end of ages, Christ: if the faithful anchors have hope possessed, we rejoice.” The Resurrection is the foretaste of God’s final victory of love in the end. He brings the future within us and with the sanctifying energy of the Holy Spirit in the Mystery of the Church, makes it present.
However, in the light of the Resurrection, all these things are transformed and can be overcome. “Do not be surprised at the terrible trial by which you are tested,” advises the Apostle Peter. “On the contrary, rejoice in participating in the suffering of Christ, for thus shall you be filled with joy and joy when His glory is revealed” (1 Pet 4:12-13); And in hours of cruel persecutions, he affirms: God “who out of great mercy reborn us into a new life with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” enable us to truly hope, guards us with His power “until Salvation comes which is already ready to be manifested in the ends times. With this thought feel joy, even if you need for the time being to be distressed for a while by various trials” (1 Pet 1:3-6). At Easter, we celebrate the crushing of the state of death, the merciless enemy of man.
With Christ is Risen, we celebrate the most important event of history, which concerns the depth, the meaning, and the future of man’s existence. It may be that Various ramifications of death surround us with their strangest and most diverse masks, with unjust oppression, debilitating poverty, and unexpected suffering. May the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ change our minds, our hearts, our thoughts, our behaviors and our values as it did to the Apostles and all those who truly witnessed His Holy Resurrection from the dead two thousand years ago.
Amen.
Easter Message From His Grace Bishop Silvester (Kisitu) of Jinja and Eastern Uganda
Beloved children in the Lord God.
Christ Is Rsien!
Christos Anesti!
Kristo Azuukidde!
I greet you with this traditional ecclesiastical phrase which expresses the inexpressible world event ever, i.e., the transcendent triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death. The resurrection of Christ marks the beginning of a new phase (fundamental change) in the history of mankind where by the powers of the hades are destroyed and man is regenerated and according to St. Paul, he becomes a new creature.
However, even though His resurrection fully reveals the immeasurable love of God for man by keeping His promises He made to the people of Israel, especially through Abraham and Moses; man has taken it for granted by misusing this freedom.
Today, the world has developed the ideology of humanism which encourages one to decide or act freely in his daily life, a situation that has resulted into relying on distorted truths and freedom with its numerous consequences one of which is the vice of homosexuality.
We thank God there is still some integrity among people which springs from God’s image in which man was created as well as His knowledge from the gospels. The original plan for a person is clear that God created man and woman and blessed the mystery of marriage for both so that in unity and happiness provided by God, they may praise and serve Him thus strengthening the family bond for the solidarity of the society.
Therefore, other forms of marital existence are foreign according to the teaching of the Church, traditions, as well as human nature and there are indeed controlled by the power of sin.
We thank God that here in Uganda our people continue to leave a Godly life and are not supportive of such ungodly, immoral, and unnatural behaviors in spite of the pressure from those trying to impose such evils into our societies.
In these circumstances, we pray for those that have been controlled by sin to be guided and come back to God, to normality as expected of a person / human being.
As we pray for all people, we must encourage them to repent and come back to God by denying inhuman behaviors and habits and then be able to resurrect together with Christ as a “new people” in Christ Jesus; the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven, living peacefully in the world together with other people as one godly family.
CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED, HE IS RISEN!
Photo from here
Πέμπτη 6 Απριλίου 2023
Ρrocession to the Holy Monastery of Mary of Egypt, Uganda
Kontakion of Sun. of St. Mary of Egypt (Third Tone)
Who once was filled with every carnal sin has become today, through repentance, the bride of Christ. She desired the company of angels. She trampled upon demons with the Cross as her weapon. This is why, O Glorious Mary, you became a Bride of the Kingdom.
A blessed Sunday to you’ll and through the intercession of Saint Mary of Egypt, may be strengthened to clearly observe the remaining days of the Great Lent. Amen
Pictures from the procession with the icon of St. Mary of Egypt from St Antonios Church to the Holy Monastery of Mary of Egypt. This was immediately after the Divine Liturgy commemorating the feast and it involved all the Nuns and their Abbesses from the there Convents including Abbess Thavoria and the Nuns of St. Catherine Monastry in Kiyindi and Abbess Gabriera from All Saints Monastry in Bwetyaba and Abbess Maria (the host) from the feasting Monastery. All Glory belongs to God.
Τετάρτη 16 Φεβρουαρίου 2022
"My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord"!...
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed says the Lord, who has compassion on you". (Isaiah 54:10)
Let us remain steadfast in our faith to which we received our sacraments. The church has never been poor, but we make it look like it is poor. The church has never been a human institution but we tend to me make it look like a man made institution. The good thing is, the Church is the Church, it has never been anything else. There is no workshop for that craft of making it look like anything else. The lord will always restore it to its orginal identity and purpose.
African Orthodox Bishops, from the page of the Orthodox Church in Uganta (here)
Δευτέρα 11 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Social media blackout, violent crackdown on opposition ahead of presidential elections in Uganda
With just hours ahead of the highly anticipated January 14 presidential election in Uganda, the Ugandan Communication Commission (UCC) directed telecommunications service providers to switch off all social networks and messaging applications.
UPDATE: A total internet shutdown was registered across Uganda by 7 pm EST on Wednesday, January 13, reports Netblocks.
This election could potentially see an end to President Yoweri Museveni’s 35-year, 5-term rule — or extend it for another five years. Musician turned politician, Robert Ssentamu, 38, widely known by his stage name, Bobi Wine, is the major opposition contender against the 76-year-old Museveni in this election.
Internet monitor Netblocks confirmed that “a lengthy list of pre-selected social websites” like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype, Viber, Google Play Store, were affected by the digital blackout.
The digital blackout has left Ugandans grappling with virtual private networks (VPNs) as the only option to remain online.
However, the government's blocking “more than 100 (VPNs)” in the country, makes it more arduous for citizens to circumvent the internet shut down, says Access Now, an international advocacy group.
On January 12, Facebook shut down several accounts belonging to the Citizens Interaction Center of the Ugandan Information Ministry for using “fake and duplicate accounts” to promote the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ruling party, the BBC reports. President Museveni criticized the “arrogance” of Facebook for “deciding who is good or bad” in Uganda.
This is not the first time Museveni’s government has yanked away the internet or repressed online freedom of expression.
During the 2016 general elections, the government shutdown social media platforms with reasons related to curtailing propaganda and security. In 2017, the government introduced a monthly $2 USD “over the top”(OTT) communication social media tax to curtail people from gossiping on social networks. The 2016 digital blackout introduced many people to the use of VPN networks in order to access the service.
READ MORE:
Social Media Blocked in Uganda Ahead of President Museveni's Inauguration
Will Uganda shut down the internet as opposition heats up for 2021 elections?
Violent intimidation of opposition’s campaign
Bobi Wine (right) talking with a lawyer. Image by Mbowasport, August 8, 2019, released to Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.
Bobi Wine, Uganda’s main opposition presidential contender, rose to political fame following his election to parliament in 2017. Wine played an instrumental role in resisting the lifting of the constitutional presidential age limit that paved the way for Museveni’s tenure elongation.
For the past two months, political campaigns have been rife with violence exacerbated by the Ugandan army and police, who weaponized COVID-19 to repress the opposition. Opposition politicians were prevented access to districts and campaign venues on the pretense of violating the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 protocols that barred any gathering with more than 200 people.
The opposition continuously argued that the time allocated to the campaigns would not enable them to traverse all four administrative regions of the country. They also argued that they abided by the restrictions but could not control the actions of citizens who are “hungry for change” and came out to rally in large numbers. On November 18, Bobi Wine and Patrick Amuriat, of the Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) party, were arrested, which sparked riots that left more than 50 people dead. Both politicians, charged for violating anti-coronavirus measures while campaigning, were released on November 25, 2020.
With just hours before the election, most members of Bobi Wine’s campaign team, including his singing partner, Nubian Li, are still remanded in a military barracks jail following their arrest on January 4, in the Lake Victoria islands of Kalangala, a venue of a scheduled campaign.
On December 26, 2020, the Electoral Commission also banned campaigns in 13 districts, including the capital Kampala, and its buffer districts of Wakiso and Mukono, making it hard for opposition politicians to access the citizens in those areas. They criticized the president for continuing to launch development projects like road and hospital construction in the same districts where opposition members were not allowed to carry out their activities.
In a statement issued on Facebook, Bobi Wine said:
They have been surprised and scared to the teeth by the massive support we have received everywhere, including Museveni's backyard in Kiruhura and Kazo…Now, they have suspended campaigns in districts where they think people will show up in tens of thousands! Of course they had to add some other districts in order to sanitize their panicky actions.
Barred from access to voters in those districts, Bobi Wine turned to digital media to reach out to citizens by recording a song entitled, “Tulonde” which means “Let’s Vote” in the Luganda language. In the same song, he narrates the campaign journey that has been characterized by bullets, teargas, deaths and arrests, including his arrest immediately after nomination.
It’s two days before Uganda’s election. Boston-based Ugandan-American Herman Ainebyona, who organizes and leads the diaspora for @HEBobiwine’s campaign, was choked and brutally arrested by plainclothes officers at SunCiti Hotel in Lira, Uganda. #UgandaDecides2021 #StandWithUganda pic.twitter.com/CWihQeJrmI
— Arao \ə-ˈrau̇\ AMENY – Daughter of Lango (@araoameny) January 12, 2021
The Electoral Commission also failed to confirm Bobi Wine’s final week’s campaign schedule hence stopping him from accessing the electorate.
On January 12, Bobi Wine tweeted that Ugandan security operatives raided his home, arrested his personal assistant and security guards:
The violence was not only reserved for opposition politicians.
Journalists covering the campaigns have also been brutalized by the police. But Police Chief Martin Okoth Ochola was unapologetic, stating that “when we tell a journalist, don't go there and you insist on going where there is danger, we shall beat you for your own safety. I have no apology,” reports the Monitor, a Ugandan daily.
The US Embassy in Uganda, on January 13, canceled their election observer missions because the Uganda electoral umpire denied accreditation for “more than 75 percent” of their election observers. Similarly, only journalists in “good working terms with the government” have been accredited to cover the elections.
There was visible heavy deployment of the soldiers in most parts of the country on January 12, with Museveni saying that the opposition wants to create chaos after the elections.
The three opposition parties — Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP), Patrick Amuriat’s Forum For Democratic Change and General Mugisha Muntu’s Alliance for National Transformation —had, on January 12, made a joint commitment to push against voter fraud and election-rigging.
The prevailing evidence points to unequal contests between “millions of young people demanding reform and a say in their future” and “a small cadre of tyrants committed to retaining power at all costs,” asserts Wine in an op-ed in Foreign Affairs.
But “government crackdowns on the opposition in many cases violently or through arbitrary arrests may help tilt the scales in Museveni’s favor,” says the United States Institute for Peace.
Consequently, a lot depends on the international community to impress on Museveni to hold free, fair and credible elections.
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