President Yoweri Museveni and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataha Museveni, on Monday, 18 received the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, His Beatitude Theodoros II who paid a courtesy call on him at State House Entebbe.
The visiting Beatitude was in the country to condole with the followers of the Orthodox Church upon the death of the late Archbishop Jonah Lwanga and to commemorate 40 days after Lwanga’s death on September 5 in Athens, Greece paid a courtesy call on President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni at State House in Entebbe.
He was accompanied by delegation of Bishops who included the Metropolitan Markarios, the Archbishop of Nairobi in Kenya, Innocientios Byakatonda the Archbishop of Burundi and Rwanda, Neophitos Kongai the Bishop of Nyeri and Mt. Kenya, Silvestros Kisitu the Bishop of Gulu and Eastern Uganda and Archmandritellunga Musunganyi Chariton the `patriarchal Vicar Diocese of Goma in the DRC.
Others were Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Mbalire a priest from Athens Greece, Rev. Fr. Paul Mutaasa Vicar Metropolis of Kampala and Hon. Theodore Ssekikubo the Chairperson Development Commission of Orthodox Church.
The Beatitude Theodoros II told President Museveni about the history of the Orthodox Church whose followers are estimated to be over 350 million world-wide , noting that having been to Uganda six times, he loves the country .
“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 us and protects us,” he said.
He pledged to send through the Uganda Embassy in Rome 2,000 covid-19 vaccines and continue to mobilize more vaccines for Uganda.
President Museveni applauded the cleric for coming to commemorate the death of Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga with the people of Uganda and commended his visitor for the pledge of vaccines.
The Orthodox Cleric later proceeded on his pastoral visit to Bukoba and Dar-as-salaam in Tanzania and will later continue to Cairo in Egypt.