Fr Anthony Musaala
Fr Anthony Musaala’s daring letter about the alleged sexual indiscretions of priests has rocked the Catholic Church, leaving many wondering how it will all end.
But a senior religious scholar has told The Observer the church is too strong a rock to be moved by Musaala’s dossier.
The letter, which came to the fore shortly after the election of Pope Francis, is loaded with tones of infectious confessions from a man who calls himself a victim of the unknown sex life of men of God in the world’s largest church.
“It is an open secret that many Catholic priests and some bishops, in Uganda and elsewhere, no longer live celibate chastity,” Musaala argues in his letter, which has become a thorny subject of debate among the clergy and non-believers.
The move to suspend Musaala has been interpreted by religious analysts as shying away from the issues raised and settling for the killing of messenger. Dr Alex Nkababona of Makerere University School of Religious Studies told us: “My view is that the church has overreacted.”
“There is need to listen to dissenting voices on celibacy and sexuality. There could be some truth in what Fr Musaala said. However, the church’s point of view might be that he would have addressed these issues internally than going public,” he said.
Dr JB Mpoza, an ex- seminarian, teacher and part-time lecturer at the Nkozi-based Uganda Martyrs University, describes Musaala’s letter as “regrettable and unfortunate.”
“I have studied the church, and I must tell you that it has both human and divine compromises,” Mpoza told The Observer last week. “There are times when the human element takes over man. We need to pray, and also remind people that if you chose to be something, you have to observe the professional code of conduct,” he said.
Mpoza is adamant the church cannot be defeated, but as a Catholic, he urges the faithful to pray for the institution to weather the Musaala storm. Musaala has promised to challenge the churchís decision to suspend him, by appealing to the Papal Pro nuncio, Archbishop Michael Blume.
But the Uganda Catholic Church spokesperson, Fred Sekitto, said suspending Musaala, Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga was not targeting the messenger but using the canon law to “safeguard the teachings of the church.”
“We are not targeting the individual. We are using canon law to protect the church,” Sekitto said.
THE OBSERVER
