President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni addressed thousands of Christians during the “Light up Ankole for Jesus” crusade, organized by Pastor Patience Rwabwogo. The event marked a significant moment of spiritual reflection and a call for socio-economic transformation across Uganda.

“I am grateful to God for blessing my family with a pastor,” President Museveni expressed, acknowledging his daughter Pastor Patience Rwabwogo’s role in leading the event. He extended his gratitude to the Christian community for embracing the message of socio-economic transformation and called upon priests and religious leaders to continue spreading this gospel to those who have yet to follow it.

Highlighting the importance of unity, President Museveni urged all leaders to work towards togetherness, setting aside hatred, envy, and religious conflicts. “They should unite us in faith,” he emphasized, promoting a message of harmony and collective progress.

First Lady Janet Museveni joined the President in Mbarara to conclude the “Light Up Ankole for Jesus” mission. She shared her blessings from attending several missions organized by the Covenant Nations Church (CNC) and praised Pastor Patience and the CNC for their impactful work.

“As people of Uganda, we must understand that we have reached a time where all those who are called by His Name must devote time to pray truthfully and ceaselessly,” Maama Janet urged. She called on Ugandans to pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven, reiterating that God’s teachings are achievable through faith and persistent prayer.

Reflecting on her childhood during the Great East African revival, which spanned from 1936 to the 1970s, the First Lady spoke of the transformative power of that movement. She recounted how her parents, who were part of the “balokole” revivalists, became community leaders focused on prayer, evangelism, education, and community reformation.

However, Maama Janet expressed concern over the current moral decline in society, even among Christians. She highlighted pressing issues such as homosexuality driven by greed, pervasive corruption, teenage pregnancies, and gambling, which are widespread across the country, including in Ankole. She also mentioned the resurgence of spiritual problems, like the worship of diviners and false prophets.

“In His mercy and love, God has a good reason to initiate this mission at this time,” she said, expressing gratitude for God’s guidance and for appointing their daughter as a Minister of the Gospel. “Not because we are a righteous family, but because He is a gracious God and He listens to those who call on His Name.”

In a poignant conclusion, the First Lady posed a critical question to the current generation: “Whom will you serve?” She reminded the audience that the generation of revivalists has passed away, leaving the present generation with the responsibility to choose their path.

The “Light up Ankole for Jesus” crusade highlighted the Museveni family’s dedication to fostering spiritual and social renewal in Uganda.

Pope Francis has said he has “already prepared” his tomb in a Rome basilica in a further sign of the pontiff’s quest to break from longstanding Vatican tradition.

Francis, who turns 87 on 17 December, told the Mexican broadcaster N+ that he would be laid to rest in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the Esquilino neighbourhood in Rome, where he goes to pray before and after trips overseas.

Francis cancelled a trip to the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai after a bout of acute bronchitis in late November.

He has made more than 100 visits to the fifth-century basilica, where he prays in front of a venerated image of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.

The pope told the journalist Valentina Alazraki that he had met the master of ceremonies in order to simplify papal funerals, adding: “I’ll launch a new ritual.”

Popes are usually buried with much fanfare in the grottoes beneath St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. “At the very least, this is another break with longstanding tradition, just like his decision not to live in the Apostolic Palace [the official papal residence],” said Paddy Agnew, a Vatican reporter for Ireland’s Sunday Independent.

The pope’s health has declined in recent years, forcing him to use a wheelchair and feeding speculation about him stepping aside, as did his predecessor Benedict XVI.

Francis had a colon operation in 2021 and was hospitalised in early April with bronchitis. The pope, who marked the 10th anniversary of his papacy in March, said in the interview that despite his health problems, he had “no thought of resigning”.

Francis has made his mark amid battles with a deeply conservative faction of the church, irked by his fixation on issues such as social inequality, the climate crisis and refugees. When asked about his health in an interview in September, he quipped: “Still alive … although some want me dead.”

Born to Italian immigrants, Francis had part of one lung removed in his early 20s while training to be a priest in his native Argentina.

Since May last year he has frequently been seen in a wheelchair or using a walking stick because of a knee ailment. The Vatican has not disclosed exactly what the problem is, but José María Villalón, the chief doctor at the Spanish football club Atlético de Madrid, was called upon to treat the issue.

Villalón, an expert in the field of sport traumatology, said in November last year that Francis, whom he described as “a very charming and very stubborn patient”, had made it clear he did not want surgery on his knee.

The Guardian

VATICAN CITY, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Saturday further cemented his legacy, elevating 21 prelates to the high rank of cardinal and significantly raising the percentage of electors chosen by him who will have the right to vote for his successor.

At a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square known as a consistory, Francis “created” 21 new cardinals, the red-hatted “princes of the Church” who are his closest advisers at the Vatican and around the world.

There are now 137 cardinal electors, about 73 percent of them chosen by Francis. This increases – but does not guarantee – the possibility that the next pope will share his vision of a more progressive, inclusive Church.

Eighteen of the 21 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible under Church law to enter a secret conclave to elect the next pope after Francis’ death or resignation. They are known as cardinal electors. The three 80 or over were given the honour because of their long service to the Church.

The new cardinals come from the U.S., France, Italy, Argentina, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Portugal.

South Sudan got its first cardinal and Malaysia got the second in its history, a continuation of Francis’ policy of giving more recognition to places he has called the “peripheries” of the world, often those racked by war or where Catholics are a minority.

One significant appointment is that of Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan of Hong Kong. Chow is one of the major links to the Catholic Church in communist China, where the Vatican is trying to improve conditions for Catholics. The bishop made a historic visit to Beijing in April.

Another is that of Italian Bishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Francis’ apostolic administrator in the Holy Land, where the Vatican fears that the historical presence of Christians is under threat.

“Diversity is necessary; it is indispensable,” Francis said in his homily at the service, during which each new cardinal received a ring of office and the red, three-blade hat known as a “biretta”.

It was the pope’s ninth consistory since his election in 2013 and continued changes over the past decade, during which the percentage of Asian and African cardinal electors has grown while that of those from Europe has fallen.

Francis turns 87 in December and whether he convokes another consistory next year or in 2025 depends on how long he lives. While he uses a wheelchair and a cane and has undergone several operations, overall he has not slowed down and still keeps a busy schedule.

On October 4, he will open a month-long major meeting in the Vatican, known as a synod, that could chart the Church’s future.

In his homily on Saturday morning he called for “an ever more symphonic and synodal Church”.

Using the metaphor of an orchestra, Francis appeared to refer to divisions between progressives and conservatives in the 1.3 billion member Church, saying one section or instrument cannot play alone or drown out the others.

It was his job, as “conductor” to listen and try to achieve a “creative fidelity”.

The Oct. 4-29 synod has been in preparation for two years, during which Catholics around the world were asked about their vision for the future of the Church.

Proponents have welcomed the consultations as an opportunity to change the Church’s power dynamics and give a greater voice to lay Catholics, including women, and people on the margins of society.

Conservatives say the process has been a waste of time, may erode the hierarchical structure of the nearly 1.3 billion-member Church and in the long run could dilute traditional doctrine. A second final session will be held in 2024.