BREAKING NEWS: The Archbishop of the Orthodox Church in Uganda, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga has died at the age of 76.
Lwanga’s death was confirmed by the Orthodox Church in a tweet sent out at 8 pm on Sunday evening.
“Our spiritual father has gone to meet the Lord,” the church said without divulging further details on the cause of his death.
The Orthodox church earlier on Sunday in a virtual intercession prayer informed congregants that His Eminence Lwanga was hospitalized in Greece suffering from an undisclosed illness.
Jonah Lwanga has been the head of the Orthodox Church in Uganda since his ordination in 1997, and is credited with the establishment of the Gulu diocese under his omophorion.
The cleric has been a vocal cleric, preaching against injustice in the country.
In 2019, Lwanga ruffled feathers when he said NRM government would collapse because it ‘had disturbed the nation very much’, adding that the NRM exit will be the beginning of good things in this country.
“We are going to suffer human rights abuse until NRM is dissolved. And it is going to dissolve very soon. I say this prophetically; it is not going to be there because it has disturbed this nation very much. It is going to dissolve,” said Lwanga.
The President quickly organised to meet with Lwanga and his colleagues as the former prepared for the 2021 election campaigns.
Lwanga’s death comes months after the death of his namesake, who was the head of the Catholic archdiocese of Kampala on Uganda Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga.
Short Biography
Jonah Lwanga was born 18 July 1945 in Degeya village in Luwero, Uganda. Lwanga’s grandfather, Obadiah Basajjakitalo, was one of the two initial leaders of the Orthodox Church in Uganda along with Ruben Spartas Mukasa.
He completed his general education in Bulemezi and Kyaddondo, Uganda (1952-1964).
In 1964-1968 he studied at the Ecclesiastical School of Crete. In 1968-1978 he holds a degree in Theology and Philosophy from the University of Athens with.
In 1979−1981 he served as Secretary of the Orthodox Mission in Uganda and on 1 May 1981 he has ordained a Deacon. A year later, he was ordained a priest.
On 27 January 1992 he was ordained vicar Bishop of Bukoba and On 12 May 1997, he was elected by the Holy Synod as Metropolitan of Kampala and All Uganda.
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