Ugandan church seized in land dispute

THE Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Revd Stephen Kaziimba (right), has called for a “serious and impartial inquiry” after a church in Namirembe diocese was seized and destroyed. The dispute centred on ownership of the land on which the church, St Peter’s, Ndeeba, was built. The Episcopal News Service reported on Tuesday that two government officials had been arrested in connection with the incident. The church was built partially on land donated in 1981 by Evelyn Nachwa, a now deceased member of the Bugandan royal family. The diocese was appealing against the High Court’s decision to evict the congregation earlier this year after Ms Nachwa’s children tried to reclaim the land.

Preach briefly or be barred, Californian priests warned

CLERGY in the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Sante Fe have been warned that they may face “possible suspension of the faculty to preach” if they continue to breach the five-minute time limit for homilies. The Vicar General, the Very Revd Glennon Jones, said that the rules were in place to limit people’s exposure to the coronavirus, as well as to avoid putting them off attending mass. Since May, priests have been permitted to celebrate mass under strict guidelines; attendance has been limited to ten per cent of each church building’s capacity, and singing has been prohibited. In a memo on 31 July, clergy were instructed to keep homilies “very brief”. The warning came after mass-goers had been informed of the archdiocesan protocols and had expressed concerns.

CSW calls for end to persecution in India

THE charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called on the Indian government to bring an end to tensions in the Khandhamal district, on the 12th anniversary of violent attacks by Hindu fundamentalists against Christians. In the 2008 attacks, 90 people were killed, 600 villages were ransacked, and 54,000 people were left homeless. CSW also reported that 40 women had been raped or subjected to sexual assault, an estimated 395 churches had been destroyed, and more than 5600 homes looted. Most of the perpetrators had not been arrested; and none of the cases had been reopened, despite an order in 2016 by the Supreme Court of India, the charity said.