KENYA: The Catholic Church Launches Humanae Vitae – Family Centre of Love and Transmission
In 1968, Blessed Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Humanae Vitae prophetically reminds people, of God’s noble original design for the married love of husband and wife, namely the inseparable bond between unitive and procreative.
In his Keynote address at Tangaza University Collage on 31st, May, 2018, the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) – National Family Life Office and the Bishop of Bungoma Rt. Rev. Norman King’oo said that Blessed Paul VI warned that a widespread contraceptive mentality would lead to marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards which he confirms has come true.
Speaking to participants during a symposium to launch the celebration of Humanae Vitae golden jubilee celebration slated for 24th-30th, July, 2018, Bishop King’oo noted that there are many threats facing the family today causing the change in its concept.
He cited the need for responsible parenthood through transmission of faith and social values, appropriate teaching regarding the natural methods for responsible procreation, the need to respect dignity of the person in morally assessing methods in regulating births, the adoption of children, orphans and the abandoned and accepting them as one’s own.
“There is dire need for effective catechesis regarding abortion by encouraging parents to take care of the child, rather than procuring abortion, continuous promotion of pro-life programs and to strengthen more the Abstinence Behaviour change program for the Youth(ABY) which teaches about the consequences of abortion,” Bishop King’oo said.
He added that, all members of the family are family pastoral and evangelizing agents. This includes teachers, priests, Religious nuns who should embrace their responsibilities in this area with a passion encouraging all learning institutions to stand up and promote holistic education.
Speaking at the same time, KCCB General Secretary Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Rono emphasized that the main purpose of the symposium is to affirm that the teaching of Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Humanae Vitae confirms the Church’s Magisterium to counter the ideologies of contraceptives as a serious sin against human life and that conjugal love is free, total, faithful and fruitful in the lives of the married man and woman. “This upholds to the fundamental truths regarding the nature of Marriage as conceived, not by men but by God Himself,” Fr. Rono added.
He also said that, as Christians, there is need to properly understand and acknowledge sexualityas a God-given gift, ordained for the splendor’s purpose of conjugal union and procreation hence sex can never be separated from its purpose and that conjugal activity means so much for family life warning that it is wrong to diminish it to abortifacients, abortion, contraceptives, sterilization, surrogate motherhood, invitro-fertilization and related vices or deny its full reality to committed love and openness to life.
Continuously, the Church has denounced and condemned the mistakes and abuses committed against marital union and recommended the necessary remedies to restore Christian Marriage as echoed in the Second Vatican Council, where the Church affirms the dignity and the Sacredness of human life and sexuality.
By Rose Achiego, KCCB
