KAMPALA, Uganda – The Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) has elected the Rt. Rev. Sanctus Lino Wanok, Bishop of Lira Diocese, as its new chairman, placing him at the helm of the body that brings together all Catholic bishops in Uganda.
The election took place during the conference’s plenary assembly, a gathering at which Catholic bishops meet to deliberate on matters affecting the Church, review its pastoral activities and make decisions concerning its leadership and administration.
Bishop Wanok succeeds the Rt. Rev. Joseph Antony Zziwa, Bishop of Kiyinda Mityana Diocese, who has chaired the conference since 2018. Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha of Mbarara has been elected vice chairman.
The leadership change follows the completion of Bishop Zziwa’s second four-year term. He was first elected chairman on Nov. 11, 2018, succeeding Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, who had also served two consecutive terms. Zziwa was subsequently reelected during the plenary assembly held at St. Augustine Institute in Nsambya, Kampala, on Nov. 11, 2022.
As chairman, Bishop Wanok will be responsible for convening and presiding over meetings of both the plenary assembly and the executive board, guiding deliberations and helping coordinate the implementation of decisions reached collectively by the bishops.
He will also serve as the conference’s principal link with the Holy See in Rome, other episcopal conferences and relevant Church institutions. The chairman works with the executive board and the Uganda Catholic Secretariat to ensure that the conference’s activities continue between plenary meetings.
Although the chairman provides leadership and represents the conference, he does not replace the authority of individual diocesan bishops. Each bishop remains responsible for the pastoral administration of his diocese, while the conference provides a platform for collective decisions and coordinated action on matters of common concern.
The Uganda Episcopal Conference, established in 1960, coordinates the Catholic Church’s pastoral and social mission across Uganda’s 19 dioceses. Its work covers evangelization, education, health care, social justice, development and other areas through which the Church serves communities across the country.
The conference operates through several commissions responsible for different aspects of Church life, including education, health, finance and administration, social communications, pastoral affairs, priestly formation and justice and peace.
Before his election as chairman, Bishop Wanok had also served in several leadership roles within the conference, including responsibilities connected to education and Catholic institutions. He has been involved in the governance of Uganda Martyrs University and the Uganda Catholic Management and Training Institute.
His election comes months after Uganda’s Catholic bishops undertook their ad limina visit to Rome in March 2026, during which they met Pope Leo XIV and engaged with Vatican institutions on matters concerning the Church in Uganda. Wanok, then vice chairman, was among the bishops who participated in the visit.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Bainomugisha brings experience from his leadership of the Archdiocese of Mbarara and his previous responsibilities within the conference. He has served on the executive board and held responsibilities in the legal services commission, among other Church structures.
The new leadership will be expected to strengthen cooperation among Uganda’s Catholic bishops while overseeing the conference’s collective response to pastoral, institutional and social challenges facing the Church and the country.
The election also opens a new chapter for the conference as it continues its mission of promoting unity among bishops and coordinating the Catholic Church’s contribution to Uganda’s spiritual and social development.
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