COVID-19: Catholic Church cancels Uganda Martyrs Day 2020 Celebrations

By Wilson Kakuru On Apr 30, 2020 1,387

Thousands gather at Namugongo every June 3 for the Marty’s day celebration last year. (PHOTO/Courtesy)

The Uganda Episcopal Conference, a body that brings together Catholic Bishops in Uganda, has postponed this year’s Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The annual celebration marked on June 3 brings together Christians from all over the world to remember the martyrdom of several young men by Kabaka Mwanga in the 1880s.

But Bishop Antony Zziwa, the chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, in an April 29, 2020 letter to his fellow Bishops, requested that this year’s celebrations be postponed owing to the threat of coronavirus that limits public gatherings.

Besides, he added, that Masaka Catholic Diocese, which was to organize this year’s celebrations, has written to him, saying that they are unprepared to host the event.

Full letter attached