By Spy Uganda
There is good news and jubilation in the Catholic Church of Uganda after Pope Francis appointed Rt Rev Fr Bainomugisha, who has been serving as the auxiliary Bishop of Mbarara, to take over from retiring Archbishop Paul K Bakyenga.
Outgoing Archbishop Bakyenga, 74, in 2018 revealed that he was planning to retire and asked Christians to pray for him so that his wish could be granted.
“The Catholic Church allows us to retire before 75 years because at that age, you do not have enough energy to run the operations of the church. Pray for me so that I can retire before 75 years,’’ he said during the ordination of 12 priests and 12 deacons at Nyamitanga Cathedral Mbarara in 2018.
Archbishop Bainomugisha’s appointment is enshrined in a letter from the Pontiff dated April 25, drafted and signed by Luigi Bianco, the Apostolic Nuncio, on behalf of Pope Francis’s.
Archbishop-elect Bainomugisha has been serving as Archbishop Bakyenga’s assistant since July 2, 2005 when he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI.
He was born 12 July 1961 in the then diocese of Mbarara. He studied in Uganda and in Canada, obtaining a PhD in Canon Law at St Paul University Ottowa.
He was ordained a priest on 13 July 1991 then ministered for a few years in parishes, before going to Canada to complete his studies.
Before being appointed Bishop, he was chancellor of the diocese and chaplain at the general House of the Sisters of Our Lady of Good Counsel and a community of Poor Clares.
The Archdiocese of Mbarara, created in 1999, has four dioceses.
