The Christian faith was introduced into the east African nation of Uganda in the late 19th Century, brought by Catholic and Protestant missionaries. Threatened by this new faith, chiefs and witch doctors incited the nation's young ruler against the Christians, who sought to rid his kingdom of them. Charles Lwanga was leader of the royal pages, many of whom were embracing Christianity. In dramatic and heroic fashion, Lwanga and dozens of others offered their lives in martyrdom; their deaths were a precursor of a rapid spread of the Christian faith in the years shortly thereafter.
In the 1880s, Catholic and Protestant missionaries introduced Christianity into the Ugandan kingdom of Buganda. The spread of the faith caused witch doctors and chiefs to fear for their power. So they persuaded young king Mwanga that the new religion would undermine his authority.
The eighteen-year-old ruler was unstable, alcoholic, and addicted to sexual relations with boys. When Joseph Mukasa, the Catholic captain of the king’s pages, rebuked him for his debauchery and for slaughtering a Protestant missionary, he determined to uproot Christianity from Buganda. Because Mukasa protected Christian pages from his advances, Mwanga had him beheaded in November 1885.
In May 1886, the king tried to seduce a page, and discovered that another young man was catechizing him. Enraged, he drove a spear through the catechist’s neck. Then he demanded that all the Christian pages renounce their faith or face death. They chose death, and Mwanga obliged. He rounded up the Christian pages, Catholic and Protestant alike. On June 3,1886, he had them executed at Namugongo, a place of ritual sacrifice.
Charles Lwanga, a young Catholic leader, had succeeded Mukasa as majordomo of the pages. Like his predecessor, he encouraged the faith of the Christians and insulated them from Mwanga’s perversions. So, he was one of the first to be martyred. A page who was mysteriously pardoned at Namugongo described Charles’ death:
“Then we set out from the square walking in single file, a rope from neck to neck joining the prisoners. As we went, every one of us prayed in his heart, but not aloud. When we arrived in the valley, we were ordered to halt where the high executioner, Senkole, and a big crowd waited.
“Senkole separated Charles Lwanga from the others, saying: ‘This is the man of my choice. He’ll be my victim.’”
“Lwanga said to us: ‘Friends I am staying here. Good-bye! We shall meet again in heaven.’ With one voice, we answered, ‘Yes, before the throne of God. Au revoir.’”
Charles was laid on a pyre under which the fire was kept low. The flame slowly charred the martyr’s legs without touching the rest of his body. Later, an assistant executioner provided these details:
“Senkole said to Charles: ‘Let’s see whether Katonda (God) will come to deliver you from the fire.’
“Bearing his agony without a murmur, Charles said: ‘Poor, foolish man, you don’t know what you say. You are burning me, but it is as if you were pouring water on my body. I die because of the religion of Katonda. But you, you will see trouble. Katonda, whom you insult, will one day plunge you into real fire. Sir, if only you would also become a Christian.’”
Charles prayed quietly while the fire slowly did its work. Just before the end, he cried out, “Katonda wange!” (“My God!”) and died.
Then the other pages were stripped, wrapped in reed mats, piled on a huge pyre and burned alive. “We have killed many people,” said one executioner, “but never such as these. On other occasions, victims did nothing but moan and weep. There was not a sigh, not even an angry word. All we heard was a soft murmur on their lips. They prayed until they died.” That day, thirteen Catholics, eleven Protestants and eight unbaptized seekers, ranging in age from 13 to 25, offered their lives in the flames.
“A well,” said one of the martyrs prophetically, “that has many sources never runs dry. When we are gone, others will come after us.” In 1890, only a few years later, the number of Christians in Buganda was estimated at 10,000.
Published with permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
Copyright © 2000 by Bert Ghezzi
Bert Ghezzi is a popular author, syndicated columnist and speaker. He has written numerous books, including The Angry Christian, Build With the Lord, Keeping Your Kids Catholic, Miracles of the Saints, Becoming More Like Jesus and Transforming Problems. This fall, Doubleday will release his next book, Voices of the Saints, a unique daily devotional featuring saints’ quotations. A regular columnist in Catholic Parent magazine, Bert now serves as editorial vice president and editorial director for Servant Publications, working from his home in Winter Park, Florida.
