President Yoweri Museveni has highly commended the Catholic Church in Uganda for interacting with the youth at annual gatherings pointing out that adolescents are always in danger if not properly guided.
“I want to thank the authorities of the Church for seeing the wisdom of interacting with the youth. This is because being a youth is very dangerous,” he said.
The President was over the weekend officiating at the closing ceremony of the National Youth Conference 2019 that was organized by Kasana Luweero Diocese.
The 5-day conference attracted the youth from all the 19 Catholic Dioceses in Uganda and ran under the theme ‘I am the servant of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word’.
While using a Runyankole proverb that distinguishes challenges faced by an orphan and a teenager, President Museveni noted that whereas an orphan is faced by social problems, a teenager on the other hand, becomes a problem as he/she has matured and become sexually active.
“If you don’t know how to control your body, it is very dangerous. You get a death sentence. You do things which you will regret the rest of your life –if you survive,” he said.
Mr. Museveni, therefore, thanked the church for helping the youth to navigate through their adolescent age. He told the youth that he does not mince his words while counseling his children and grand children when advising them to use padlocks on their bodies until the right time comes.
He equally advised the participants in the youth conference to finish with their education and then look for the right life time partner.
“One of the dangers faced by the youth is sexuality. Please put padlocks on those parts,” he said.
The President said he was laying emphasis on health issues because being healthy was a good thing that enables one to do a lot of things in life. He also advised the youth not to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes as both items can pose a great danger to their health.
On the issue of jobs and wealth, President Museveni told the youth that the sectors where one can find both include commercial agriculture, industries, services and Information Communication Technology (ICT). He also urged the youth to be patriotic by loving and embracing Pan-Africanism for prosperity.
The Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, thanked President Museveni for gracing the ceremony adding that it manifested the great love and support the President has for the Catholic Church. He also conveyed to President Museveni a message of love and support from the opinion leaders of Luweero.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda, Archbishop Luigi Bianco, thanked President Museveni for honoring their invitation adding that the youth are the present and the future.
Kasana Luweero Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Paul Ssemwogerere, reported that the diocese has earmarked 20 acres of land for the youth of Luweero to use for skilling schemes to which President Museveni later donated Shs. 100 million to support their projects.
Bishop Ssemwogerere announced that Soroti Catholic Diocese will host the 2020 National Youth Conference.