KENYA: Bishops Call for New Government be Inclusive
Archbishop Martin Kivuva of Mombasa Archdiocese
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Members of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have called upon the new government which is just beginning its five term leadership after the General elections that was held in the month of August, to consider being inclusive in their appointment and serve all Kenyans irrespective of political differences.
“As we congratulate all those who were elected to various positions of leadership, we wish to remind them that they have been elected to serve all Kenyans,” the KCCB Chairman Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde said on behalf of the brother bishops adding, “We, therefore, ask them (new leaders) to be inclusive in their choice of those whom they will appoint to various offices as they address the real issues affecting the lives of Kenya.”
Archbishop Kivuva of the Archdiocese of Mombasa was addressing thousands of congregants who gathered for the National Prayer Day Saturday, October 1, at the Marian Shrine Subukia located in the Rift Valley region in Kenya’s Nakuru Diocese.
In their collective message, the Bishops acknowledged that the electioneering period was not that easy.
at Subukia National Prayer Day
Credit: AMECEA Online
“We come to this shrine with hearts full of gratitude, because we have just transitioned to the new government both at the national level and the county level and as a people, we thank God for the peace and harmony that spread throughout this important activity,” said the prelates.
“We cannot forget the need to pray for unity, which we usually pray for in our national anthem,” the Prelates continued appealing for cohesion and reconciliation in the country since during the electioneering period, citizens must have injured each other because of the diverse political positions hence “our Lord is asking us to see each other as brothers and sisters.”
At the same time the Bishops prayed that God may “give us courage, wisdom and love to forge ahead with the new leadership,” at the same time appealing to the leaders to “fight the cancer of corruption which is one of the key problems in our country, Kenya.”
Addressing the congregation during the celebration that was animated by the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kisumu, Archbishop Kivuva highlighted that the Church has a responsibility to always pray for her people and offer prophetic advice to leaders.
“We have a duty as a church to pray for our civil leaders to remain faithful and listen to advice and to our prophetic role,” the Archbishop said.
Connecting the aspect of reconciliation to the ongoing synodal process which calls for journeying together, the Bishops said, “As we are told in the preparatory document of the synod, that the objective of the synod process is not just to produce documents but to plant dreams drawn forth from prophesies and visions and allow hope to flourish, to inspire, to trust and bound up wounds because possibly we have hurt each other, It is a Spirit of synodality that we appeal to the people of Kenya to embrace, journey together, listen, discern, and above all be open to the Holy Spirit.”
The bishops called on all the faithful to continue being pilgrims of Faith in the Marian shrine of Subukia and never to loose site of the purpose of making the Shrine a pilgrimage place.
