Parents Challenged on Children’s Mental Health, Upbringing

Kampala Archbishop, His Grace Dr. Paul Ssemogerere, has called on parents and guardians to urgently take responsibility for their children’s mental health, moral upbringing, and overall well-being.

While preaching to a packed congregation at Lubaga Cathedral during Easter Mass, the Archbishop described the Resurrection of Christ as a beacon of hope for a society struggling with broken families, substance abuse, and emotional distress among the youth. “Our golden inheritance as children of the risen Lord is hope,” he said. “Yet many young people feel neglected, misunderstood, and left to navigate life alone. They carry wounds from broken homes, absent fathers—or should I say absent parents—and overwhelmed mothers struggling to survive.”

His remarks come at a time when the country is reeling from a wave of disturbing developments, including a rise in child suicides, escalating cases of drug and substance abuse among the youth, and a growing list of other social vices affecting young people.

The Archbishop painted a sobering picture of a generation in crisis, turning to drugs, alcohol, and other harmful behaviors in a desperate bid to escape emotional pain, starting from slums like Kisenyi, to suburbs like Ntinda, School dormitories, and to University Halls.

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Archbishop warned of a “natural disaster in the making” if such issues continue to be ignored.

“Young people are crying out for help, not punishment,” he said. “A young person caught in addiction is not a criminal. They are a soul crying out for help.”

He called on the Church, communities, and government to invest in functional, well-funded rehabilitation centers and to treat the mental health of youth as a national priority. “Our silence in this matter can no longer be an option,” he stressed.

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Archbishop Ssemogerere also directly challenged parents to rekindle their “sacred duty of presence,” urging them to prioritize nurturing their children over chasing social status and career achievements.

“A child may forget the toys we buy for them, but they will never forget the moments we sat with them, listened to them, guided and prayed over them,” he said. “Instilling hope in a child is laying a foundation upon which they can build their full potential.”

Turning his attention to the youth, the archbishop emphasized their pivotal role as the nation's future. "I know many of you feel neglected, misunderstood, and left to navigate life alone. You carry wounds from broken homes, absent fathers—or should I say absent parents? Overwhelmed mothers or guardians who are themselves battling to survive. Many, young as you are, have seen society ignore your pain. And in your search for escape, some have turned to drugs, alcohol, and dangerous habits to relieve the pain."

Archbishop Ssemogerere urged them not to trade their future—and the country's future—for fleeting highs: "But I say to you today—hope is the solid pathway out of rock bottom. Do not trade your future—and our future—for fleeting highs. Do not silence your pain with poison.

"And to you youth listening to me: dare to hope again. Christ defeated death. What seems impossible is possible in Him. You may feel stuck, but remember—the tomb was sealed, guarded, and shut. Yet Christ walked out of it alive. So you too can walk out of addiction. You can walk out of depression. You can walk out of peer pressure and reclaim your purpose."