Immaculate Tusingwire, MMS…………………….
The Association of Religious in Uganda (ARU), thanked and bid farewell to His Excellency Luigi Bianco, the Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda during the official opening of the General Assembly on 5th June 2025.
The Nuncio was visiting ARU during their General Assembly which he has done twice every year during his term of service in Uganda. As he always did, he opened the Assembly with a Eucharistic celebration, co-celebrating with the bishop liaison for Religious in Uganda, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Obbo-AJ Archbishop of Tororo Archdiocese.
The Assembly begun on 5th June to 8th June 2025 under the Jubilee Year theme for the Religious, “PILGRIMS OF HOPE ON THE WAY TO PEACE”
His Grace Luigi Bianco thanked the Major Superiors for the good collaboration he has had with them especially the people he has closely worked with including the Former President of ARU, Sr. Speranza Namusisi IHMR and the out-going Secretary General Sr. Lydia Apili Bwor, LSMIG. He congratulated the new president of ARU, Rev. Fr. John Bosco Kamoga C.S.Sp and handed over to him an official letter of confirmation and instructions from the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (Dicasterium pro Institutis Vitae Consecratae et Societatibus Vitae Apostolicae).
Fr. Kamoga ceremoniously received the letter and in turn thanked the Nuncio for his availability and love for the association during his apostolic mission in Ugandaand wished him the best in his new mission. Additionally, Fr. Kamoga thanked the out-going Secretary General for her dedicated service to the conference and introduced the New Secretary General and the new Assistant Secretary General to the Nuncio and to the Superior Generals present. He appealed to the members to continue focusing on the social injustices that affect the people as we were invited to do at the beginning of the Jubilee year. He concluded his address by praying for the congregations who are preparing for their general chapters which among others include Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix Gogonya and Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu.
As a symbol of their appreciation, the Assembly gave the Nuncio a souvenir of a glass plaque designed with a group photo of the major superiors taken with the Nuncio.
Bishop Obbo’s words to the Nuncio and the conference were those of gratitude and caution. He thanked Nuncio for being his friend and a friend of ARU. To the members of the Association, he said, “thank you for all that you do to wake us up”. He recommended embracing technology for evangelization at the same time, cautioning them not to allow to become slaves of technology.
H.E Bianco has served in Uganda since 2019 and his new assignment is in Luvenia which he officially began on 20th June 2025.
