Joseph Kibweteere
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Joseph Kibwetere | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 November 1932 |
| Disappeared | 17 March 2000 |
| Occupation(s) | Former Leader, Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God |
Joseph Kibweteere (16 November 1932 - disappeared 17 March 2000) was one of the leaders of the
Biography
Many details of Kibweteere's life, and especially death, remain unclear. What is known is that he came from a strongly pious Catholic background and was likely wealthy by Ugandan standards. He ran for political office in 1980 and owned enough land to donate some land for a school of his own design. The Catholic school he founded and led was apparently orthodox and at that point he had a positive image in the community. In 1960 he married a woman who would prove to outlive him.
During his life, Uganda experienced both religious and political upheaval, which likely influenced him. The strongest of these influences may have been religious movements that emphasized miracles and
Religious acts
Around 1989 he came into contact with a woman named Credonia Mwerinde, a prostitute who claimed she was looking to repent for her sins. She had a background of claimed experiences dating back further than Kibweteere. Credonia claimed that she could see the virgin Mary when looking at a stone in the mountains. The stone apparently bore a strong resemblance to existing depictions of the Virgin Mary. Her father had claimed to have had a vision of his dead daughter, Evangelista, as early as 1960. His children and grandchildren would be affected by this. By 1989, Credonia and her sister, Ursula, were traveling through Uganda spreading the family's message. When Credonia met Kibweteere in the Kanungu District in western Uganda,[citation needed] he welcomed her with open arms and shared his own experiences. This would lead to their forming the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God.
After the death of Credonia's father, Kibweteere became the official leader of the group. In the 1990s the movement strongly emphasized
Disappearance
In March 2000 the group began slaughtering cattle and buying massive amounts of
A great deal remains unclear about his story and about the movement. The BBC reported that Kibweteere had been treated for bipolar disorder a year or so before the group suicide.[citation needed] At that time, the Ugandan authorities considered him a fugitive and mass-murderer because they believed him to have escaped. The date and nature of the apocalypse the group expected has been debated. There is one camp that indicates they believed it would come in 1999 and that the 2000 suicide was caused by the failure of that prophecy. This would seem confirmed by some of their activities of 1999, but, in their literature, 2000 is often seen as the "end year". The nature of his role and significance to the events is also disputed. Due to the circumstances, satisfactory answers to these and other questions may never be forthcoming.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God". Dialogue Ireland. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
- ^ MoreOrLess. "Tragedy in Uganda: the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, a Post-Catholic Movement". www.cesnur.org. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
- ^ Cult in Uganda Poisoned Many, Police Say New York Times July 28, 2000
- ^ NTVUganda; "Kanungu Massacre: Report claims Kibwetere is hiding in Malawi"
- ^ "The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God(blog post)". Dialogue Ireland. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2017-07-09.