Pope Francis Lauds Uganda’s Generosity in Welcoming Migrants, Refugees

Vatican, 25 July, 2023 / 9:50 PM

Pope Francis has, during an audience with Uganda’s Prime Minister (PM), Robinah Nabbanja, lauded the East African nation for demonstrating generosity in welcoming migrants and refugees. 

According to Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, the encounter between the Holy Father and Hon. Nabbanja, which took place at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Monday, July 24 lasted about 25 minutes and included an exchange of gifts.

“Among the topics covered during the conversation, the Pope was touched by the welcome generously extended by Ugandan institutions to migrants and refugees, not only from the African region but as far as Central Asian countries,” Mr. Bruni says in the Vatican news report dated July 24.

The 2021 report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) indicates that Uganda hosts most refugees in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the report, UNHCR says the East African nation hosts about 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers mostly from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan.

The UN Refugee agency further indicates that country’s “approach, combined with progressive refugee laws and freedoms, provides refugees in Uganda with significant prospects for dignity and self-reliance.”

On Tuesday, July 25, PM Nabbanja who was in Italy to participate in the July 24 European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East Annual Summit also met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, alongside the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organization, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.

“During the cordial discussions, which took place in the Secretariat of State, the good relations between the Holy See and Uganda were evoked, emphasizing the role played by the Catholic Church in the country,” the Holy See Press Office has reported.

The meeting was “a favorable opportunity to discuss matters of common interest and to exchange views on the situation in the region,” the Holy See Press Office has further reported.