House of Bishops to meet over Archbishop Ntagali’s suspension

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda (COU), comprising 37 dioceses, will meet on Thursday to deliberate, among other issues, the suspension of former Archbishop, the Rt Rev. Stanley Ntagali.

Ntagali was suspended by the current Archbishop, the Rt Rev. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu over adultery with a married woman.

The Provincial Secretary of the Church of Uganda, the Rev. Can Capt. William Ongeng, said the archbishop had written the letter.

But a source within the Church of Uganda revealed that the suspension could be nullified after deliberations by the House of Bishops on grounds that it was not done in accordance with the Church constitution.

The constitution, according to the source, provides for a tribunal that hears the matter and gives a chance to the accused person to defend himself, which the archbishop did not do.

The House of Bishops meeting is also scheduled to deliberate on the retirement of the Assistant Bishop of Kampala Diocese, the Rt Rev. Hannington Mutebi, who has expressed the desire to leave due to ill health.

Mutebi was appointed in 2014 by Ntagali and retained his position under Kaziimba.

However, in February 2019, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He received chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant treatment in the UK and was able to resume his duties.

Ntagali speaks out

Meanwhile, for the first time, Ntagali spoke about the scandal that led to his suspension, following a social media apology allegedly issued by him

When contacted by our reporter, Ntagali refuted the apology purportedly posted by him on Twitter.

“It’s not mine. It’s not my tweet,” Ntagali affirmed.

When pressed to shed more light on the scandal that has sent shockwaves through the Church, Ntagali said: “Sorry my dear. I do not want to speak to the press.”

Ntagali retired as Church of Uganda Archbishop in February 2020 with upto 3 years left on his term to expire.