“A technician called to become a Bishop, God’s ways are different…!”
Bishop Damiano Guzzetti visited Leadership office just a few days before his consecration. Born in Turate, Milan, he started his formation journey with the Comboni Missionaries in 1981. He did his theological studies first in Ggaba National Seminary then in Tangaza College Nairobi. He was ordained a priest in 1989 and his first assignment was in Italy with a youth missionary group called GIM. In 1995 He was assigned to Uganda, Karamoja, till 2009. He worked in Jinja as a Formator and bursar of the Comboni Postulants till September 2013. His nomination as Bishop of Moroto Diocese came while in Italy. This is how he tells his story casually, with much simplicity to Leadership Magazine’s Irene Lamunu and Sebhat Ayele Mccj.
He had just completed his military service in 1980 in Italy when Damiano Guzzetti came to know about the Comboni Missionaries who were housed 20km away from his home village, he was 21 years. His friend Fr. Giorgio Poletti introduced him to the Comboni Missionaries and young Damiano was impressed when he met Fr. Giorgio not dressed in his clerical robes but wondered how priests could wear ordinary clothes. This motivated his religious vocation. Fr. Giorgio further invited him to the Youth Missionary Group (GIM). When the program ended, Fr Giorgio suggested a lifetime service. After a year, Damiano decided to give this new vocation a try. In 1981, he joined the postualancy in Florence. With a technical background, philosophical studies were a real challenge to him. He remained focused and joined Novitiate at Venegono Superiore in 1983 and in 1985, Damiano took his first vows.
While still continuing his formation, he was assigned to Africa for theological studies. “I accepted to come to Africa because I was told the Scholasticate (Theological Center) in Africa was much simpler than Europe and America.” From Italy Fr. Daimano was sent to Dublin to begin English course before he could proceed to Africa. From Dublin, he was sent to Belfast to finish the second half of English language studies. “The second half of the experience was beautiful because we were sent to Belfast, and the tension was so high we could hear gun shots in the streets. By then I did not know that I was being prepared for Karamoja.” On August 15, 1985, Damiano arrived at Entebbe airport with a thrilling experience of a power blackout: “I remember arriving at Entebbe airport aboard Ethiopian airlines, we were three white students. When we came out of the plane at the arrival lounge, there was no electricity and we lost each other.” In 1985, Uganda was undergoing a transition from the Obote government to Tito Okello Lutwa’s government. The country was still in a state of war and poverty: there was no sugar, salt and other essential commodities. But the hospitality of Ugandans was his consolation. He studied theology at Ggaba National Major Seminary. After two years Kampala Scholasticate of the Comboni Missionaries was closed and his group was transferred to Tangaza College, in Kenya where he completed theological studies.
While in Kenya, he did his pastoral work in Maasai land in Rongata Rongai. He said that this too was unknowingly a remote preparation for Karamoja. He was ordained a priest in Italy on November 23, 1989. After his ordination his first assignment was in Italy to work among the youth missionary group. After five years in 1995, Fr. Damiano came back to Uganda and was sent to Karamoja where he worked for 14 years before going for Sabbatical year to South Africa. After South Africa, he was assigned to Jinja where he worked from 2009 to September 2013 as Formator and bursar of the Postulancy. At the end of 2013 he was called back to Italy to Venegono Superiore for the animation of youth missionary group. It is hardly a year and he is back home to the Uganda mission with a different responsibility: Bishop of Moroto Diocese.
In February this year Fr. Damiano received a phone call from the Vatican telling him to go there immediately. He asked the caller if he could go in two weeks time since he was already planning soon to be in Rome. The caller told him to go since it was urgent. On arriving in Rome, he went to Propaganda Fide. “While in the waiting room, a Chinese Bishop came with a paper and started reading: “The Holy Father appoints you as Bishop of Moroto Diocese. Do you accept?” I asked him how a simple technician like me could become a Bishop?” When he sensed there was little sign of compromise, he requested the Chinese Bishop to give him two months to think about it but he was told there is no time to think because the message required two days. While all that was going on, Fr. Damiano said he asked the Bishop why they decided to replace a Ugandan Bishop with an expatriate Bishop. When Comboni said “Save Africa with Africa.” The Vatican official was quick to remind him that Comboni played a big role in Africa and this was his time to contribute his role to the part Comboni played.
When it was disclosed that the request came from Karamoja, he went out and confided the issue with his spiritual director and another friend. After two days of prayer, confusion and consultation, Fr. Damiano understood that it was the will of God, which he could neither reject nor escape.
He went back to the Vatican and signed the document, which has changed his status from Fr. Damiano to Bishop Damiano. Bishop Damiano admitted that he prefers to share work on the ground rather than putting himself at a different level. “Comboni was a man who fully shared the life of the people; I prefer putting myself at their level. I don’t like to detach myself from the daily reality of the people. During my ministry as a Bishop, I will stay with them and we shall work together as a team.” He plans to adopt this style because during his 14 years’ stay in Karamoja he found out that the people are very open to share. “Once you show them love and respect, they will reciprocate the love and working with them would not be hard.” He is happy to go back to Karamoja to work with them. The most important thing for the Bishop is that the young people should be encouraged to love their culture. He likes participating in the lives of the people: “…together we will find a way of improving their lives.”
He wants people to learn how to prevent diseases and have better lives. Bishop Damiano has plans of making the church in Moroto self-reliant, both spiritually and materially. He also noted that Karamoja as a region has very few priests while there are so many young people in Karamoja. Bishop Damiano’s top agenda is vocation promotion and peace building. At the moment there are no more shooting on the roads, but there is still a lot of hatred instilled in people’s hearts and it brings poverty in the region. “When people hate each other they spend more time in planning revenge than working.” His policy in Karamoja will follow the principle of “teaching people how to fish, rather giving them fish.” A special group of people he intends not to forget is the “elders” who give their children to the church.
The elders trust the missionaries and the church, even though they are more inclined to follow their cultural and traditional customs. Bishop Damiano says he will try to collaborate with them and demand their influence on Church affairs, though unbaptized; they influence the society and Church affairs. Without their consent the Church in Karamoja cannot survive. He got a large amount of land from them for Church activities, because they trust the missionaries and the Church.
