By Flavia Oyuu, Communications Office, Lira Diocese
The Justice and Peace Department of Lira Diocese have commenced preparations for the 19th Prayer and Peace Week, scheduled for 2026. Unlike previous editions traditionally held in January, next year’s event will take place in April, due to the anticipated 2026 general elections.
Cyprian Okello, the Coordinator of the Justice and Peace Commission in Lira Diocese, explained that the rescheduling is meant to align the peace initiative with the national election period, emphasizing the event’s focus on peace, reconciliation, and unity among Ugandans.
The Prayer Peace Week is a significant event that brings together religious, cultural, and political leaders for collective prayer and reflection. The event returns to Lira Diocese after a seven-year interval, last hosted there in 2019.
Okello noted that the first preparatory meeting has already been held, with participation from representatives of various parishes across the Diocese. The goal, he said, is to mobilize Christians for early preparation, implement passed resolutions, and roll out pre-event activities. The previous Prayer Peace Week was held in Koboko Parish, Arua Diocese, from January 20th to 24th, 2025.
During the meeting, Santo Silveria, one of the participants, stressed the importance of forgiveness as a cornerstone for lasting peace. He proposed that next year’s program should include visits by bishops to sites where atrocities were committed during the LRA insurgency. These include: Amononeno in Alanyi, Awekiparo monument, where 69 people were killed, Barlonyo in Agweng Parish, where over 300 people lost their lives, St. Mary’s Girls’ School in Aboke Parish, where schoolgirls were abducted, and Abia in Abongodyang Parish, where civilians were killed.
Lira Diocese last held the Prayer Peace Week in 2019 at Lango College (14th edition). Emeritus Archbishop John Baptist Odama urged politicians then to promote harmony for peace, highlighting the need for politics to serve peace. The 2019 theme, designated by Pope Francis, was “Good Politics in the Service of Peace.”
The Prayer Peace Week is an initiative of GANAL (Greater North Archdiocesan and Diocesan Assemblies for Northern Uganda), first conceived in 2005 by then Archbishop of Gulu, Most Rev. John Baptist Odama, now Archbishop Emeritus. It was designed to help bring healing and closure to the people of Northern Uganda following decades of war led by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) under Joseph Kony.
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