John Baptist Odama

Last updated

The Most Reverend

John Baptist Odama
Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Gulu
Church Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu
SeeGulu
In officeSince 1999
Predecessor Martin Luluga
Successor Raphael p'Mony Wokorach, M.C.C.J. Ugandan Roman Catholic Prelate
Orders
Ordination14 December 1974
by  Angelo Tarantino
Consecration26 May 1996
by  Emmanuel Wamala
RankBishop
Personal details
Born (1947-06-29) 29 June 1947 (age 76)
Riki-Oluko, Arua District
Previous post(s) Roman Catholic Bishop of Nebbi

John Baptist Odama (born 20 July 1947) is a Ugandan Roman Catholic priest, who serves as the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu, in Uganda, since 2 January 1999. [1]

Contents

Background and priesthood

Odama was born in Riki-Oluko Village, in present-day Arua District, in the West Nile sub-region, in the Northern Region of Uganda on 29 June 1947. He was ordained priest in the Catholic church on 14 December 1974, at Arua Cathedral, by Bishop Angelo Tarantino, Bishop of Arua. He served as priest of Arua Diocese until 23 February 1996. [1]

As bishop

On 23 February 1996, Pope John Paul II appointed Odama bishop. He was consecrated Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nebbi, on 26 May 1996, serving in that capacity until 2 January 1999. [1]

On 2 January 1999, he was appointed Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu, being the first Catholic prelate to serve in that role; the Archdiocese having been created that same day. [1] [2]

Odama was the chairman of the interfaith organisation known as Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), from 2002 until 2010. The organisation was involved in peace-building efforts in Northern Uganda. As leader of the organisation, Odama met with Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army and mediated between them and the Government of Uganda. ARLPI received the Niwano Peace Prize in 2004. Odama was also involved in the 2006–08 Juba talks between the two parties in South Sudan. [3] [4]

Archbishop Odama has been the chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference since 2010. [5]

Other responsibilities

As of January 2020, Archbishop Odama is the Chancellor of Uganda Martyrs University, a private university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda and whose main campus is in Mpigi District, Uganda. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebbi District</span> District in Northern Uganda, Uganda

Nebbi District is a district in Northern Uganda. It is named after its main municipal, commercial and administrative centre, Nebbi, the location of the district headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Wenski</span> Catholic archbishop

Thomas Gerard Wenski is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami by Pope Benedict XVI on April 20, 2010, and was installed on June 1, 2010. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Orlando (2004–2010), coadjutor bishop of Orlando (2003–2004), and auxiliary bishop of Miami (1997–2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu</span> Catholic archdiocese in Uganda

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Gulu in Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Onaiyekan</span> Nigerian Catholic prelate (born 1944)

John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan is a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was archbishop of the Latin Church archdiocese of Abuja from 1994 to 2019 and was made a cardinal in 2012. He has served as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria and bishop of Ilorin.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arua is a diocese located in the city of Arua in the ecclesiastical province of Gulu in Uganda. Following the resignation of Bishop Frederick Drandua, on 19 August 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed the Sabino Ocan Odoki, Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu, as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Arua, until a substantive bishop is appointed. On October 20, 2010 he was named ordinary Bishop.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nebbi is a diocese located in the city of Nebbi in the ecclesiastical province of Gulu in Uganda.

The Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) or Episcopal Conference of Uganda is the local conference of Roman Catholic bishops in Uganda, established in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Odongo</span> Ugandan bishop (1931–2020)

James Odongo was a Ugandan Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Tororo from 5 January 1985 until his retirement on 27 June 2007.

Vincent Kirabo Amooti, who was born on 1 October 1955, in Hoima District in the Western Region of Uganda, serves as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hoima, effective 30 November 2015.

Giuseppe Franzelli, is an Italian-born Roman Catholic priest who served as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lira, from 1 April 2005 until 23 November 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabino Ocan Odoki</span> Ugandan prelate

Sabino Ocan Odoki, is a Roman Catholic prelate, who serves as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arua, in Uganda. He was installed as Bishop of Arua Diocese on 18 December 2010.

Charles Martin Wamika is a Roman Catholic priest, who is the Bishop of Jinja, since 2 March 2010.

Paul Kamuza Bakyenga was a Ugandan Roman Catholic priest, who was the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mbarara, from 2 January 1999. Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 25 April 2020 and appointed Auxiliary Bishop Lambert Bainomugisha as the Archbishop of Mbarara, Uganda.

Martin Luluga was a Ugandan Roman Catholic prelate, who served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Nebbi. He was appointed bishop of Nebbi on 2 January 1999 and he retired on 8 February 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambert Bainomugisha</span> Ugandan Roman Catholic archbishop

Lambert Bainomugisha, is a Ugandan Roman Catholic prelate, who is currently the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mbarara, in Uganda, since 25 April 2020. He was formally installed as archbishop of the archdiocese later on 20 June 2020.

Joseph Mugenyi Sabiiti, is a Roman Catholic priest, who is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Portal, in Uganda. He was appointed bishop on 2 January 1999.

Cipriano Biyehima Kihangire, was a Ugandan Roman Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu, from 19 December 1968 until 9 January 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Anthony Zziwa</span> Ugandan Roman Catholic prelate

Joseph Anthony Zziwa is a Ugandan Roman Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of the Diocese of Kiyinda-Mityana. He was appointed as Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana on 23 October 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphael p'Mony Wokorach</span> Ugandan Roman Catholic Prelate

His Excellency. The Most Reverend. Monsignor. Raphael p’Mony Wokorach, M.C.C.J. is a Roman Catholic prelate and professed member of Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, who was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Nebbi, in Uganda, on 31 March 2021. He was appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gulu on 22 March 2024.

Charles Onen is a Ugandan Catholic priest, politician and member of the parliament from Gulu East constituency. He was elected to the parliament as an independent candidate. In parliament he serves on the Rules committee.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 David M. Cheney (11 February 2019). "Archbishop John Baptist Odama: Archbishop of Gulu, Uganda". Kansa City: Catholic-Hierarchy.org . Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  2. ↑ David M. Cheney (17 February 2019). "Profile of the Archdiocese of Gulu: Historical Summary". Kansas City: Catholic-Hierarchy.org . Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  3. ↑ Pax Christi International (2006). "About Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative". Brussels, Belgium: Pax Christi International . Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Mike Wooldridge (19 January 2011). "LRA: Ugandan Bishop Urges Negotiated Settlement". London: British Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Uganda Episcopal Conference (6 June 2010). "Uganda Episcopal Conference: About Uganda Catholic Secretariat". Uganda Episcopal Conference. Archived from the original (Archived from the original on 9 December 2013) on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Mathias Mazinga (10 November 2018). "Uganda Martyrs University passes out 2040 graduates". New Vision . Kampala. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.