RUBAGA, KAMPALA: Pope Francis has named Bishop Paul Ssemwogerere as the new Archbishop of the Kampala Archdiocese.
The development was announced today Thursday by Luigi Bianco, the Papal Nuncio to Uganda.
Semwogerere, 64, currently the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luweero will be taking over the role from the late Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga who passed away last weekend on Saturday.
Ssemwogerere was appointed bishop of Kasana-Luweero on 4 June 2008.
Speaking at the funeral service at the Rubaga cathedral where Lwanga is slated to be buried, the Papal Nuncio said the Holy See was grateful for Bishop Semwogerere and sent its “best wishes”
Who is Bishop Paul Ssemwogerere
Paul Ssemogerere (born 30 June 1956) is a Roman Catholic prelate who is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luweero, where the late Lwanga also served as Bishop before he came to Kampala.
Early life and education
Ssemogerere was born on 30 June 1956 at Kisubi, in present-day Wakiso District in the Buganda Region of Uganda. This location is in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala.
He attended Kigero Primary School before transferring to Kisubi Boys Primary School. He then studied at St. Maria Goretti Senior Secondary School Katende, where he completed his O-Level studies. In 1976, Ssemogerere and seven other young men became pioneer students at St Mbaaga Seminary at Ggaba. This was the first class of this seminary, which specializes in admitting men to train as priests when they are older than usual, and without attending minor seminary.
In 1978, the late Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga sent Ssemogerere to the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 1982. On 21 November 1981, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Rembert George Weakland, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Priesthood
He was ordained a priest on 3 June 1983 at Kampala, by Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga, Archbishop of Kampala. He served as a priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala, until 4 June 2008.
As bishop
He was appointed bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kasana-Luweero, on 4 June 2008. He was consecrated as bishop on 23 August 2008 at Kasana-Luweero by Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Archbishop of Kampala, assisted by Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala, Cardinal-Priest of Sant’Ugo, and Cardinal Emeritus of Kampala and Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam, Titular Archbishop of Amantia and Papal Nuncio to Uganda at that time.
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