UGANDA: Bishop condemns circumcision - for "encouraging promiscuity"

the Daily Monitor (Uganda)
April 8, 2012

Stop labelling us terrorists, clerics say

By Betty Ndagire

In Summary
During the Good Friday Ecumenical Public Way of the Cross walk in Kampala, clerics turned the hit on the government and politicians over calling church leaders terrorists. The clerics said it is their duty to point out wrongs and correct some, which does not make them opposition.

Clerics have advised government to focus its attention on solving issues affecting citizens and warned against being labelled ‘terrorists’ whenever they criticise the running of the country.

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Circumcision not the deal

Meanwhile, the Bishop of West Ankole Diocese, the Rev. Yona Katoneene, has criticised the Ministry of Health over its ‘safe male circumcision’ campaign. He said the practice is encouraging promiscuity. [So the Bishop would rather rely on fear of a deadly disease to help him promote his moral precepts?]

“Whether you are circumcised or not, you get infected with HIV. We are telling the people we lead that they should not be deceived that getting circumcised will make them safer. As a church, we encourage people to abstain and those who get married remain faithful to their partners,” Bishop Katoneene said. [This is dangerously confused. Let him promote his morality as morality, not as a variety of safer sex.]

Preaching on Good Friday, Rev. Katoneene blamed government, especially the Ministry of Education for failing to fund activities that would influence behavioural change in society. “We are not against circumcision but the way the campaign is packaged is wrong. The picture given in the campaign shows that when you circumcise, you can’t acquire HIV, which is absolutely wrong,” Rev. Katoneene said. [And very, very dangerous.]