By KT Reporter
The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana–Luweero, Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa, has urged Catholics to rid their homes of all fetishes and objects linked to witchcraft as the Holy Jubilee Year 2025 officially ended.
Bishop Mukasa made the call on Sunday, December 28, 2025, during his homily at a Mass held to mark the closure of the Jubilee Year at Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Peace, Kasana Cathedral. The Prelate said that despite facing challenges, Mary and Joseph—the parents of Jesus—never resorted to shrines or witchcraft for solutions.
“At no time did Jesus’ family engage in witchcraft; they remained faithful to God,” Bishop Mukasa said. He explained that their unwavering faith is why St. Joseph became the Patron of the Church, Mary the mother of the Church, and Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.
The Bishop recounted an incident in which an individual once threatened to send him fetishes to destroy his life and ministry. He said he responded with courage, declaring that he was not afraid. Bishop Mukasa then pointed to a large cross inside the Cathedral, urging believers to place all their problems before Christ through prayer instead of turning to superstition.
Luganda Audio
//Cue in: “Naye ekitwewuunyisa kiikino…”
Cue out: “…ki, mu Ggulu.”//
He called on the faithful to return home and discard any items associated with witchcraft. According to Bishop Mukasa, nearly everyone present at the ceremony had something at home that he described as “a prisoner”—literally referring to deeds or objects bound with fetishes.
Luganda Audio
//Cue in: “Kati olwa leero…” Cue out: “…omwaka guno omutukuvu.”//
Earlier, Uganda Radio Network [URN] reported on July 5, 2025, how Bishop Mukasa had similarly warned the 241 pilgrims from the Diocese who traveled to Rome for Jubilee celebrations against carrying fetishes or engaging in superstitious practices. During a special Mass at Kasana Cathedral ahead of the pilgrimage, he emphasized that the pilgrims were not tourists but believers journeying to encounter God. He thus instructed them to place their complete trust in God and abandon charms or objects not aligned with Christian teachings.
That Mass served as the final prayer for the pilgrims, each of whom contributed over Shs7 million towards the journey, as they prepared to take part in Jubilee Year celebrations declared by the late Pope Francis.
Bishop Mukasa has repeatedly expressed concern about the persistence of witchcraft in Kasana–Luweero Diocese. In January 2025, he criticized some catechists for secretly practicing witchcraft, saying it undermined their spiritual responsibilities. He later announced the establishment of a special chamber to store fetishes surrendered by believers. He reappointed Rev. Fr. Augustine Mpagi as the Diocesan Exorcist.
Similar concerns have been raised by other Church leaders. In 2023, Kampala Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere decried the high number of shrines compared to churches in Kamira Catholic Parish, describing it as a betrayal of Christian faith.
As he concluded the Mass, Bishop Mukasa congratulated the people of Kasana–Luweero for completing the Jubilee Year. He noted that the Jubilee was officially opened globally by the Pontiff on December 24, 2024, and locally in the Diocese on December 29, 2024. He explained that while the Pope opened the Jubilee Year first, the closure process is reversed: dioceses worldwide close first, followed by the Holy See on January 6, 2026.
Sunday’s Mass was the only one celebrated across the Diocese’s 32 parishes and attracted thousands of faithful, alongside all priests and men and women religious. Bishop Mukasa presided over the official rite closing the Jubilee Year.
He instructed priests to remove a poster bearing Jubilee inscriptions from the altar area. He then processed from the altar, accompanied by priests, to close the Cathedral’s main entrance from inside. The door, which had been designated the “Holy Door” throughout the Jubilee Year, will remain closed for one week.
Worshippers are to use the smaller entrances until it is reopened on Sunday, January 4, 2026. The 2025 Jubilee Year was inaugurated by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, with the symbolic opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Jubilee Year runs until January 6, 2026.
Traditionally known as a Holy Year, the Jubilee is a special period in the life of the Catholic Church marked by forgiveness, reconciliation, conversion, and spiritual renewal. It calls the faithful to restore right relationships with God, one another, and all of creation. The 2025 Jubilee is observed under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” emphasizing the Church’s call to inspire hope amid global challenges such as war, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change.
Celebrated every 25 years since 1470— after Pope Paul II reduced the interval from 50 years— the last Ordinary Jubilee was held in 2000, while an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy was celebrated in 2015.
The current Jubilee also commemorates the 2025th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. In Uganda, Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa, Chairperson of the Uganda Episcopal Conference [UEC] and Bishop of Kiyinda–Mityana Diocese, directed each diocese to develop a Jubilee pastoral program.
He further instructed local bishops to replicate the Holy Door ceremony on December 29, 2024, to launch Jubilee celebrations nationwide. In Kasana–Luweero Diocese, Bishop Mukasa opened the Jubilee Year by ceremonially opening the Cathedral’s main entrance while all other doors remained closed.
The faithful processed into the Cathedral holding lit candles, symbolizing their pilgrimage of faith, as priests administered the Sacrament of Reconciliation at designated points. Throughout the Jubilee Year, parishes and diocesan institutions organized pilgrimages to Kasana Cathedral, where they celebrated the Eucharist and contributed material and financial support toward the Diocese’s parish development initiatives. A major highlight of the Jubilee celebrations was the diocesan pilgrimage to Rome in July 2025, during which 241 pilgrims represented Kasana–Luweero Diocese.
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