Northern Uganda bishops ask gov’t to restore army chaplains

Oyam, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Northern Uganda Bishops’ Fellowship has advised the government to reintroduce army chaplains.

Army chaplains are non-combatants who attend to the spiritual needs of the soldiers.

They are supposed to provide for the spiritual well-being of soldiers and their families and also offer moral guidance among other roles that could also include caring for enemy combatants.

The call was made during the burial of the former Minister of State for Labour Col (Rtd) Charles Okello Engola at his ancestral home in Awangi ‘A’, Iceme sub-county in Oyam District.

Engola was shot dead by his bodyguard private Sabiiti who also ended his life.

In their message delivered by Bishop Nelson Onono Onweng, the retired Bishop of Northern Uganda Diocese, the Bishops who cited the cases of crimes such as murders by security personnel, the army should reconsider its stance and reintroduce the army chaplains to help provide moral and spiritual guidance to the soldiers.

Bishop Onono wondered how relevant it is to have a motto that talks about God but God is removed from the core part of the country.

The Lango Diocesan Bishop Alfred Olwa advised the Otikokin Clan to which the late minister Okello Engola belonged to focus on reconciliation as they wait on God to offer justice.

The Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) has in the past asked the government to urgently re-introduce military chaplaincy for the UPDF. They argued that the role of a chaplain was crucial in the army because they offer moral and spiritual care to the soldiers the way a priest would to a civilian.

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URN