SAD NEWS: Ugandan Catholic Bishop Confirmed Dead

Erasmus Desderius Wandera, Retired Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Soroti, has died.

According to the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Bishop Wandera died on Thursday morning at his house in Mbale. The cause of death, according to Tororo Archbishop Emmanuel Obbo, has yet to be determined.

“On Wednesday, I enquired about my brother’s health and was informed that he was alright.” It was shocking to learn of his death this morning. Given his age, it might be due to natural causes, but we’ll wait for the medical report,” he stated over the phone.

Bishop Wandera was the first Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Soroti for 27 years. Cardinal Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga, Archbishop of Kampala, named him Bishop of Soroti on November 29, 1980, and consecrated him on March 29, 1981.

Archbishop Obbo took over as Bishop of Soroti after Wandera retired in October 2007. Wandera retired to St. Austin’s Cathedral in Mbale, where he stayed until his death. Meanwhile, Archbishop Obbo served as Bishop of Soroti for seven years until 2014, when the Pope nominated him Archbishop of Tororo Archdiocese.

Dr. Joseph Eciru Oliach was chosen as the third Bishop of the Soroti Catholic Diocese in 2019 following a period of five years without a permanent Bishop.

Bishop Wandera, who was born in the modern-day Busia neighborhood on April 6, 1930, was consecrated as a priest on December 27, 1956.

This article is obtained from the independent Uganda.