Credonia Mwerinde
Encyclopedia
Credonia Mwerinde was the high priestess and co-founder of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
, a sect
that splintered from the Roman Catholic Church
in Uganda
. Before founding the movement she was a shopkeeper, brewer
of banana beer
, and a prostitute. Mwerinde was also a member of a cult
that was devoted to the Virgin Mary. She and two other group members approached Joseph Kibweteere
in 1989, and said that the Virgin Mary had instructed him to take them in. Kibweteere did, and he was particularity struck by her claim of a Marian apparition near his home, which related to a vision he himself had five years earlier. Together Mwerinde and Kibweteere would found the Movement in 1989.
Mwerinde was part of the triumvirate that lead the sect, which included Kibweteere, and Dominic Kataribaabo, an excommunicated
priest
. However Paul Ikazire, a sect leader who later returned to the Catholic Church, described her as being the true power in the Movement. He said, "The meetings were chaired by Sister Credonia, who was the de facto head of the cult. Kibwetere was just a figurehead, intended to impose masculine authority over the followers and enhance the cult's public relations." Mwerinde was also the source of the sect's predictions of an apocalypse
and the pronouncements that salvation could only be found with the Virgin Mary's messages.
The Movement grew rapidly and at its height membership was estimated as being between 1,000 and 4,000. Defrocked Catholic priests and nuns joined and worked as theologians. The apocalypse
was predicted to occur with the advent of the new millennium
. After the Movement was evicted from Rwashamaire, it moved to an estate her father owned in Kanungu District
. With the year 2000 approaching sect members sold their property and turned the profits over to group leadership.
When the world did not end by January 1, a crisis occurred in the Movement. Members began to ask questions and demand the return of their money and property. Police investigators believe that Movement leadership, particularly Mwerinde, began a purge of their followers culminating in the destruction of their Kanangu Church in a fire that killed all 530 inside. Hundreds of bodies were also found at Movement properties across southwestern Uganda. Initially believed to be a cult suicide
, police later stated that they were investigating it as a mass murder
.
Mwerinde is assumed to have survived the church conflagration. Ugandan authorities believe that she left the sect's Kanangu compound in the early hours of March 17. In April 2000, police issued an international warrant for her arrest in connection to the sect killings.
In September 2011, Mwerinde and several other prognosticators who incorrectly predicted various dates for the end of world were jointly awarded an Ig Nobel Prize
for "teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations".
Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was a breakaway religious movement from the Roman Catholic Church founded by Credonia Mwerinde, Joseph Kibweteere and Bee Tait in Uganda. It was formed in the late 1980s after Mwerinde, a brewer of banana beer, and Kibweteere, a...
, a sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
that splintered from the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. Before founding the movement she was a shopkeeper, brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
of banana beer
Banana beer
Banana beer is an alcoholic beverage made from fermentation of mashed bananas. The leavening agent is sorghum, millet or maize flour.-Etymology:In Kenya, banana beer is known as urwaga, in Uganda as lubisi, in Rwanda and Burundi as urwagwa....
, and a prostitute. Mwerinde was also a member of a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
that was devoted to the Virgin Mary. She and two other group members approached Joseph Kibweteere
Joseph Kibweteere
Joseph Kibweteere was the leader of a suicidal cult that splintered from the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda.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...
in 1989, and said that the Virgin Mary had instructed him to take them in. Kibweteere did, and he was particularity struck by her claim of a Marian apparition near his home, which related to a vision he himself had five years earlier. Together Mwerinde and Kibweteere would found the Movement in 1989.
Mwerinde was part of the triumvirate that lead the sect, which included Kibweteere, and Dominic Kataribaabo, an excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
. However Paul Ikazire, a sect leader who later returned to the Catholic Church, described her as being the true power in the Movement. He said, "The meetings were chaired by Sister Credonia, who was the de facto head of the cult. Kibwetere was just a figurehead, intended to impose masculine authority over the followers and enhance the cult's public relations." Mwerinde was also the source of the sect's predictions of an apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
and the pronouncements that salvation could only be found with the Virgin Mary's messages.
The Movement grew rapidly and at its height membership was estimated as being between 1,000 and 4,000. Defrocked Catholic priests and nuns joined and worked as theologians. The apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
was predicted to occur with the advent of the new millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
. After the Movement was evicted from Rwashamaire, it moved to an estate her father owned in Kanungu District
Kanungu District
Kanungu District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kanungu, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
. With the year 2000 approaching sect members sold their property and turned the profits over to group leadership.
When the world did not end by January 1, a crisis occurred in the Movement. Members began to ask questions and demand the return of their money and property. Police investigators believe that Movement leadership, particularly Mwerinde, began a purge of their followers culminating in the destruction of their Kanangu Church in a fire that killed all 530 inside. Hundreds of bodies were also found at Movement properties across southwestern Uganda. Initially believed to be a cult suicide
Cult suicide
A cult suicide is a term used to describe the mass suicide by the members of groups that have been considered cults. In some cases, all or nearly all members have committed suicide at the same time and place. Groups that have committed such mass suicides and that have been called cults include...
, police later stated that they were investigating it as a mass murder
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
.
Mwerinde is assumed to have survived the church conflagration. Ugandan authorities believe that she left the sect's Kanangu compound in the early hours of March 17. In April 2000, police issued an international warrant for her arrest in connection to the sect killings.
In September 2011, Mwerinde and several other prognosticators who incorrectly predicted various dates for the end of world were jointly awarded an Ig Nobel Prize
Ig Nobel Prize
The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. The stated aim of the prizes is to "first make people laugh, and then make them think"...
for "teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations".
External links
- "Religion That Kills", ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, 14 February 2001 News story about the phenomenon of cults in Uganda - Seven Years Since the Kanungu Massacre
- Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God.
- BBC Report
- Religious Tolerance.org on the Movement