Ugandan pilgrimage to honor murdered archbishop as a martyr for freedom
KAMPALA — The Church of Uganda has introduced an annual pilgrimage for the late Archbishop Janani Luwum, who was murdered by the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada for protesting his government’s brutal suppression of dissent with arbitrary killings and kidnappings.
According to the Church, Christians from different denominations plan to participate in the 14-day walk ahead of the Feb. 16 annual St. Janani Luwum’s Day.
The 300-milewalk starts on Jan. 29 from the capital Kampala and ends at Mucwini in Kitgum, northern Uganda, where Archbishop Luwum was buried after his brutal murder.
Luwum was the archbishop of the Church of Uganda between 1974 and 1977 and one of the most influential leaders of the modern church in Africa at the time he died. He had been a strong critic of Idi Amin, who ruled Uganda between 1971 and 1979. Archbishop Luwum was arrested in February 1977 and killed shortly after.
His murder followed a protest note he delivered against Idi Amin’s arbitrary killings and unexplained disappearances.
Luwum was arrested with other leading Christians and two cabinet ministers and charged with treason. All were executed that same day.
The archbishop was accused of being an agent of a rebel group headed by the former president, Milton Obote whom Idi Amin had overthrown in a military coup in 1971. Idi Amin argued that the Archbishop was planning to stage a coup.
The dictator cooked evidence of military hardware, which he paraded and claimed had been sneaked into Uganda for the coup plotters, who were helped by the Archbishop.
Both Idi Amin and Obote are also deceased.
After killing the Archbishop, Idi Amin’s government reported that he had died in a grisly road accident as he attempted to escape from the vehicle that was taking him and his colleagues for interrogation.
However, when the archbishop’s body was handed-over to his relatives for burial, they discovered that it was riddled with bullets in the mouth and chest. The Church of Uganda has never forgotten this brutal act by Idi Amin.
Luwum’s death
Luwum’s murder, like that of the 45 Uganda Martyrs that happened between 1885 and 1987, is one of the dark episodes of missionary work in Africa and a strong foundation for spreading of Christianity on the continent.
Many Christians facing persecution are encouraged to emulate the late Archbishop Luwum who took on Idi Amin until he met his death.
In 2015, the government of Uganda gazetted Feb. 16 as a public holiday to commemorate Archbishop Luwum’s life and promised to support the organizers of the event.
Archbishop Ntagali, who was speaking during the launch of the St. Janani Luwum’s Day 2020 early this week, explained that the main purpose of the pilgrimage is to evoke the spiritual and historical milestones of this searing martyrdom.
“This is an opportunity for renewal and deepening of our faith, coming together of Christians from various denominations in unity, humility and fellowship, emulating Archbishop Luwum as a role model,” Ntagali said.
The Church says St. Janani Luwum’s walk will trace Luwum’s final journey.
The Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, the Rev. Can. William Ongeng noted that the pilgrimage will start from Namirembe Cathedral to Kampala Serena Hotel where the sham trial of the Archbishop was conducted.
The prime minister of Uganda, Ruhakana Rugunda, noted at the launch that Archbishop Luwum was a symbol of resistance and therefore a threat to the order of the governance of the day.
“When he was martyred, the whole country was united; the different forces were united to say enough is enough. The country united, galvanized itself and made sure that the state of affair changed,” Rugunda said.
Idi Amin is remembered not only for the murder of Archbishop Luwum, but also for killing hundreds of Ugandans; expulsion of Indians from Uganda; and the hosting of Palestinian Freedom fighters, who in 1976 hijacked a plane carrying Israelites, prompting an attack on Uganda by the Israelites elite forces to rescue their citizens.