KENYA: Archbishop of Abuja calls on Religious Leaders to be Cautious of politicians
A section of the Participants of the 2nd Annual International Conference on Sustainable Peace and Security in Africa at Tangaza College
His Excellency John Cardinal Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, the Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria has warned the religious leaders to be conscious on how they relate to politicians. “Religious leaders should avoid temptations to collude with politicians for material gain,” said the Cardinal who was speaking at the 2nd Annual International Conference on Sustainable Peace and Security in Africa at Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya.
“When there is confusion, both religion and politics suffer and in this case the religion suffers more. Where religion marries politics, naturally politics becomes the husband,” Cardinal Olorunfemi explained during his Keynote speech at the two-days’ conference which commenced on 23rd to 24th, May 2018 was under the theme: Religion and its contribution to conflict and peace building.
“What must we do? We must all stay awake, vigilant and alert and be one another’s keeper,” he said while calling upon all the religious leaders from different faith groups to always dialogue together for mutual understanding and peace reminding them that when there is no peace among the religious leaders, then they cannot give that same peace to anyone.
He further appealed to all Christians and Muslims to awaken and be vigilant while at the same time being one another’s keeper.
During the conference representatives from Coastal Interfaith Council of Clerics (CICC) Fr. Willibard Lagho and Sheik Ibrahim Sheekue, shared their experiences on the conflicts between Muslims and Christians which has been ongoing for quite a while. “Christians and Muslims have been in conflict and always living in suspicion,” said Sheik Ibrahim the chairman of Lamu Interfaith Peace organization. “We had to call clerics from the Christians and the Muslims to dialogue, and it is then that the CICC was formed,” Sheik Ibrahim recalls.
On his part, Sheik Rashid Omar, the Deputy Chief Kadhi of Kenya, affirmed that we are all from the same creator and there is no need of one religion to feel superior to the other. “People are deep rooted, have relations, values and norms which they share and this calls mankind to be one” he explains.
Sheik Rashid Omar, donated Qur’an to the participants as a sign of building peace among the Christians and Muslims, as he encouraged the Christians to read the Qur’an and understand what the Muslims believe.
The conference was convened by Tangaza University College: Institute of Social Ministry in Mission together with other partners: Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), Catholic Justice and peace Commission (CJPC), Justice Africa, Jesuit Hekimani Centre, AGEH mitmenschen, Ziviler Friedensdienst Civil Peace Service, Malaika Foundation (MF), Children’s Peace Initiative Kenya and Horn of Africa Grassroot Peace Forum.
∽End∽
By Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth
