AFRICA/UGANDA - Arson attack on the church in Mapeera Kigungu, built on the spot where the first evangelizing missionaries of the country landed

Kampala (Agenzia Fides) - The historic Catholic church of Mapeera Kigungu has suffered damage as a result of an arson attack. The attack dates back to November 7, when some unknown persons entered the church at 10 p.m. and set fire to the left side of the presbytery. The flames destroyed valuable religious objects, including priestly vestments, altar chalices, tablecloths and bottles of communion wine. The estimated damage amounts to over 10 million shillings.
The flames were noticed by some believers who raised the alarm so that the fire could be extinguished before major damage was caused. The police are also investigating with the help of surveillance camera footage from the area. Investigators suspect that the person who started the fire entered the church through a rear window. The perpetrator(s) may have acted in connection with a dispute over land belonging to the church and currently used by some companies. The ecclesiastical authorities are planning to build new facilities on this site, which would lead to the eviction of those who have settled there until now without paying rent. The church of Mapeera Kigungu was built on the site on Lake Victoria where the first Catholic missionaries in the country, Father Siméon Lourdel and Brother Amans Delmas of the Congregation of the African Missionaries (White Fathers), landed in 1879. For this reason, Ugandan Catholics are very attached to this church, to which numerous faithful make a pilgrimage every year on February 17 to commemorate the landing of the two missionaries and the beginning of the evangelization of the country.
The church has changed over time, from the mud and reed structure built by Msgr. Joseph Georges Edouard Michaud (Vicar Apostolic of Uganda from 1933 to 1945) to a building made of bricks and tiles. The church risks being submerged due to the rising water level of Lake Victoria. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 11/11/2024)

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