President Museveni, and his wife, Ms Janet Museveni, who is also the Minister of Education and Sports, yesterday received the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa His Beatitude Theodore II, who paid a courtesy call at State House, Entebbe.
Pope Theodore II is in the country to condole with the people of Uganda and the followers of the Orthodox Church in particular, upon the death of Archbishop Jonah Lwanga and to commemorate 40 days after his death on September 5 in Athens, Greece.
He was accompanied by a delegation of bishops, who included His Eminence Metropolitan Markarios, the Archbishop of Nairobi, Innocientios Byakatonda, the Archbishop of Burundi and Rwanda, Grace Neophitos Kongai, the Bishop of Nyeri and Mt Kenya, the Bishop of Gulu and Eastern Uganda Silvestros Kisitu and Archmandritellunga Musunganyi Chariton, the patriarchal Vicar Diocese of Goma in the DR Congo.
Others were Rev Fr Emmanuel Mbalire, a priest from Athens Greece, Rev Fr Paul Mutaasa, the Vicar Metropolis of Kampala and Hon Theodore Ssekikubo, the chairperson of Development Commission of Orthodox Church.
The Beatitude told President Museveni the history of the Orthodox Church, whose followers are estimated to be more than 350 million world-wide.
The Orthodox Pope, who has been to Uganda six times, expressed his love for the country, pointing out that the mission of the Orthodox in Africa starts in Uganda.
“One great person who inspired us was our first Bishop Obadia, who was the grandfather of the late Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga. Uganda is considered the mother of Orthodox Mission in Africa and we are lucky to have a good president, who loves and protects us,” he said.
He pledged to send through the Uganda Embassy in Rome 2,000 Covid-19 vaccines and continue to mobilise for more vaccines.
President Museveni commended the clergy for coming to commemorate the death of Metropolitan Jonah.
The Orthodox cleric is today proceeding on the pastoral visit to Bukoba and Dar es salaam in Tanzania and will later continue to Cairo in Egypt.