Address to Cardinal Wamala

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II
TO CARDINAL EMMANUEL WAMALA,
ARCHBISHOP OF KAMPALA

Tuesday, 29 November 1994

Your Eminence,

Dear Friends from Uganda, I am happy to welcome Your Eminence and all of you who have accompanied Cardinal Wamala and are sharing in this joyful moment with him. Through you I send cordial greetings to the Archdiocese of Kampala and to the whole Church in Uganda, not least to the Dioceses of Masaka and Kiyinda-Mityana, where the new Cardinal was born and where he ministered as priest and Bishop.

I have vivid memories of my visit to your country last year, and I especially recall my pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda. What a beautiful and moving testimony to steadfast faith and love those Holy Martyrs have left us in their complete submission to Christ! It is my fervent prayer that their example and witness will continue to be a source of inspiration and strength for the faithful in Uganda, that the Church in your land may truly be a beacon of light and hope for your nation and for all of Africa.

May God abundantly bless you and your families; may he guide you along the path of life towards the Kingdom of his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Invoking the intercession of the Ugandan Martyrs, I gladly impart to you and your loved ones my Apostolic Blessing. Omukama abakuume, era akuume Uganda (In Luganda language: "May God bless you, and may he bless Uganda").