BISHOP WANOK ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF UGANDA EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE
Bishop Sanctus Lino Wanok
URN
Bishop Sanctus Lino Wanok of Lira Diocese has been elected chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC), succeeding Bishop Joseph Antony Zziwa of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese.
Wanok, who has served as vice-chairman since November 2022, will now lead the national body that brings together all Catholic bishops in the country. He will be deputised by Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha of Mbarara Diocese, who was elected the conference’s new vice-chairman.
Rev. Fr. Philip Odii, the executive secretary of the Uganda Catholic Secretariat’s Social Communications Department, confirmed the election, from a plenary sitting at St Augustine Institute, and added that details of the other Executive Board members would be announced soon.
Established in 1960, the Uganda Episcopal Conference brings together Uganda’s Catholic bishops and coordinates the Church’s pastoral, educational, social and advocacy work. It also serves as an official link with the Holy See and other episcopal conferences, including the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).
Zziwa was first elected chairman in November 2018, succeeding Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, and was re-elected in November 2022. During his tenure, he also served as chairman of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda earlier this year.
Who is Bishop Wanok?
Wanok was born on April 7, 1957, in Ukuru Pamach village in Zombo District, in the West Nile sub-region. He was ordained a priest in 1986 and served in Nebbi Diocese, including as vicar general. He later studied canon law in Rome.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Wanok bishop of Nebbi in 2011. In November 2018, Pope Francis transferred him to Lira Diocese, where he was installed in February 2019.
As Bishop of Lira, Wanok has spoken publicly about peace and reconciliation in Northern Uganda, education, the release of political detainees and national unity. He previously chaired the UEC Education Commission and represented Uganda’s bishops at the Synod on Synodality in Rome.
The leadership change comes as the Catholic Church continues to engage on peace, governance, social justice and interfaith cooperation.
Upcoming on 90.9 FM
Upcoming on 94.5 FM
Upcoming on 101.4 FM
Upcoming on 104.8 FM
Comments
This post currently has no comments.