LIRA, FEBRUARY 12, 2019 (CISA)-Bishop Sanctus Lino Wanok was on February 9, installed as the new bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Lira at an event held at The Uganda Martyrs Cathedral, Lira.
This follows his November 23, 2018 transfer from the Catholic Diocese of Nebbi.
He becomes the fourth Bishop of Lira, succeeding Bishop Joseph Franzeli who served from 2005 until his retirement in 2018.
“…I have come to teach God’s word not my word so that I can build on what my predecessors were teaching. I am building on the foundation which is there. My predecessors planted a very strong foundation of faith… our role is to read the scripture, interpret and use it to guide the faithful,” Bishop Wanok said.
The Installation was led by Archbishop John Baptist Odama, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu.
In his speech, Archbishop Odama called on the faithful of Lira to support the new bishop and maintain peace unity.
The outgoing Bishop, Joseph Franzeli congratulated Bishop Wanok and urged him to focus on the unity of faithful in the Diocese.
President Yoweri Museveni, in a speech read by the Deputy President Edward Ssekendi, thanked the Catholic Church for being a major contributor in the development and stabilization of the East African region.
“The Catholic Church has worked hard hand-in-hand with governments to promote peace and reconciliation in this region and for this reason, thank you,” the President said.
He further called on citizens to support the Church and make is self-sustaining.
“I have been telling our Christians on many occasions that we need to work hard to support our religious institutions because they are our own …Gone are the days when churches in Africa looked up for foreign well-wishers for support. We, therefore, have no alternative other than working hard to initiate and implement income generating projects,” he said
The ceremony attracted thousands of faithful, clergy and a score of politicians.
