Christians across Uganda gathered in various churches on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, braving the cold weather to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Religious leaders used the occasion to call for moral renewal, unity in families, stronger Christian values, and decisive action against practices that undermine faith.
In Katakwi District, Rev. Simon Peter Omaido of St. Paul Parish, Katakwi Archdeaconry, led a Vigil Mass at Aleles Church of Uganda, emphasizing the need for morally upright upbringing of children and promoting peace within families.
He warned parents against using harmful language toward their children, noting that such words carry both blessings and curses, according to scripture.
“Speaking recklessly is like the thrusts of a sword, but the words of the wise bring healing,” he said, quoting Proverbs. Rev. Omaido conducted the baptism of 21 infants during the service and encouraged parents to bring their children closer to the Church for spiritual and moral guidance.
He praised the role of religious institutions in shaping societal values and urged men to live as role models, promoting holiness in homes.
Samuel Odeke, a lay reader at Aleles CoU, echoed the message, urging Christians to reflect the Resurrection in their daily lives, advocating for harmony at home and the adoption of biblical names for children.
Meanwhile, in Kasana-Luwero Diocese, Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa warned of an alarming spiritual crisis due to the resurgence and normalization of witchcraft.
Preaching his Easter homily at Our Lady of Fatima Queen of Peace Cathedral, Bishop Mukasa expressed concern that witchcraft practices, once hidden, are now integrated into the social fabric of communities, particularly in Bulemeezi County.
“It is disturbing that people are now using human skulls in rituals, harvested from unburied remains of the 1981–1986 Bush War,” Bishop Mukasa lamented.
He emphasized that these practices severely undermine Christian faith, with some communities having more shrines than churches.
Erasto Kibirango, the Luwero District LC5 Chairperson, and Brenda Nabukenya, Woman MP for Luwero, backed the bishop’s concerns, calling for a joint effort involving religious, local, and government leaders to counter witchcraft’s grip on communities.
This is not Bishop Mukasa’s first move against superstition. In March 2024, he established a chamber to store fetishes surrendered by believers abandoning witchcraft—a move inspired by the Diocese’s exorcist, Rev. Fr. Augustine Mpagi.
Elsewhere, in Kotido, Bishop Emeritus James Nasak used his Easter sermon at Christ Church Cathedral to challenge the Church of Uganda to consecrate women as bishops.
He highlighted the role of women in the Resurrection story, particularly Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus chose as the first witness.
“God deliberately used women to declare the Resurrection. This was a call to equality,” Bishop Nasak argued.
Though the Church of Uganda permits the election of women bishops and ordained its first female priests in 1983, none has risen to the episcopate. Bishop Nasak’s message adds to growing calls for gender inclusivity within the Anglican Communion, even as debates continue globally over the ordination of women.