Murder

St Mary's Orthodox School and Orphanage in Katente, Mukono District, was attacked by a gang of thugs two days ago, May 24th, at about 10:00 pm, killing two people— the headmaster of the secondary school and a matron in charge of the boarding students. They also injured Fr Immanuel Mbalire, the parish priest. The matron was his sister; the story I heard was that the gunmen were trying to kill Fr Immanuel and his wife, but she was away and they got his sister by mistake. This is not the first time that he has been attacked. It is not known who the attackers were, but an armed gang seems to be working the area, according to what little information we have. Fr Immanuel was shot in the upper thighs near the groin, but is in stable condition in a hospital. I'm relieved and grateful that he is safe; he is a young and dynamic priest, and his loss would indeed be a big blow.

I asked the bishop what the motivation was, and he said, "Sadism. You know this disease, yes? Sometimes it even has a religious component." Which doesn't tell us much, but he was on his way out the door to the funeral so we didn't have time to discuss. I gather from others that the Mukono District, a relatively prosperous area in southeastern Uganda where they grow a lot of vanilla, has had a lot of trouble of this kind, and as I mentioned, our school in particular has been the object of violence in the past.

Those of you who might be concerned about me should not worry. The violence does not affect me directly here in Kampala, which is some distance away, except to cause great sadness. There is no danger here— it seems to be a limited, local phenomenon.

Uganda, the "Pearl of Africa", could be such a beautiful place, but every day I am reminded in yet another way how much work must be done! And I don't think human effort will be sufficient!