East African Airways flew in pope in 1969.

Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga extended the invitation for the Pope to visit Uganda in 1967.

KAMPALA. The East African Airways (EAA) was the first airways in the world to fly the reining Holy Father. On his first trip to Africa, Pope Paul VI travelled in a brand new Super VC 10 of the defunct EAA from the Vatican to Uganda and back to the Vatican. 

After the Vatican had confirmed the Holy Father coming to Uganda, it was all pomp in Uganda. On June 30, 1969, the Parliament of Uganda passed the National budget, which included the supplementary estimates for the papal visit in the 1969/70 Financial Year. The total cost for hosting the Pontiff was Uganda Shs 150,000. 

With first visitation of the Pope to Africa, almost everyone wanted to be part of the history-making event. And the EAA was one of the organisations that made history. On July 23, 1969, the EAA Chief A.S Fundikira held a press conference in Kampala and revealed that the EAA had contacted the Vatican to be allowed to transport the Pope and his 27-man delegation from Vatican to Uganda and back to Vatican. 

After the Vatican had accepted they request, Fundikira revealed that the EAA contacts were made with the plane manufacturer to design a special seat for the pontiff in the Super VC 10 jet which was to transport the pontiff.  He also disclosed about the experience of the pilot who was to fly the Pope.

The flight crew
Captain Cordon Michael, who flew the Pope, had flown more than four million miles while his assistant captain Ian Robert Ainscow had flown more than three (3) million miles since he joined the EAA in 1952 according to Fundikira. 

At the time, flying experience was counted in miles covered the pilot or captain had covered – but was later changed to hours. He also revealed that plane carrying the Pontiff had an eight-member cabin crew who included two Ugandans Mary Muganga and Ruth Lutale who also became the first African air hostesses to fly with the pontiff. 

While the Pope was to fly direct from the Vatican to Entebbe and back, the EAA also mentioned that in spite of that, there was established long range radio communication with the Air Traffic Control centers which would be maintained throughout the flight from Rome, over Malta, Benghazi in Libya, Khartoum in Sudan and Nairobi in Kenya and Entebbe.

The distance
The EAA chief also revealed that the Super VC 10 would fly from Vatican to Entebbe a distance of 2,879 nautical miles in a period of 6 hours and 7 minutes. 

But the return journey was slightly longer and it would take six hours and 14 minutes to cover a distance of 2,894 nautical miles. On July 31, 1969, the plane carrying the Pope and his 27-man delegation touched down at 3pm at Entebbe Airport and 13 minutes later, the Pope stepped on the African soil for the first time in the history of the catholic faith. 

Earlier, when the plane carrying the Pontiff entered the Uganda airspace, four magister fighter jets of the Uganda air force received him in the air and escorted him to Entebbe airport. Besides the four fighters, another civilian light plane flew ahead of them carrying both the Uganda and Vatican national flags to the excitement of the Kampala and Entebbe dwellers who witnessed the fleet of planes in the sky.

Live broadcast on the plane

Another first of its kind was recorded on that day was the live broadcast from the plane that equally excited Ugandans. As the plane neared about Entebbe airport, millions of viewers of the Uganda television (UTV) as well as listeners of the only radio station in the country then, the Uganda Broadcasting Service (UBS) now Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC radio) heard the voice of the Pope Paul VI greeting Ugandans live from the plane. After the Pontiff had finished greeting Ugandans, they also heard President Milton Obote’s live broadcast from Entebbe airport welcoming the pontiff to Uganda. 

Richard Ibreck and Bonny Kanyangyeyo were the official broadcasters assisted by the minister of foreign affairs Sam Odaka who were at Entebbe airport. The live coverage continued from Rubaga cathedral when the Pontiff arrived as well as the following the day when the Pontiff consecrated twelve Bishops at Kololo independence ground and at Namugongo on August 2 when he was consecrating the Uganda Martyrs Shrine.

FRUITS OF POPE paul VI’s VISIT

In one of his early speeches on Ugandan soil, the Pope made it clear that “development is the new name for peace”. He emphasized the importance of the work of the Christian churches in development. 

It seems the message was fully embraced because 46 years on, the Catholic Church has become more involved in economic projects and in social welfare activities dealing with refugees, families, women and the youth. 

The Catholic Church has also built many more schools and hospitals. In the centre of Kampala, for instance, one cannot fail to see a magnificent building housing the church’s own Centenary Bank? In 1968 before the Pope visited, the local church maintained 24 hospitals, 34 dispensaries, three leprosaria and a few maternity centres countrywide. Today the church runs more than 130 hospitals, and health centres in the country. 

Spiritually, the number of Catholics in the country has since more than doubled. There were 2,810,347 Catholics in 1968 in a population of eight million compared to more than four million today. Most important of all, when pope Paul VI came here in 1969, he stressed that time had come for Africans to be missionaries to themselves. That appeal was heeded. 

At the time of the papal visit, of the 810 Catholic priests in Uganda, only 279 were indigenous. Today Kampala Archdiocese alone boast over 250 priests and almost all being from the respective communities. 

Today many Ugandan priests have become missionaries to European and other advanced countries. You doubt this? Every summer holiday just look and see how many of them you will see around. And as far as bishops are concerned, there were just five of them in 1968 compared to 20 today. 

In the game of numbers, Pope Paul VI’s visit energized the church, helping it to grow. There is a strong belief that the current spirit of ecumenism among the Christian churches seems to have started during the Pope’s visit of 1969.
Credit:Daily Monitor