AMECEA/CCC: “The Church has Obligation to Care for Children,” Prelate in Appreciation to Care Reform
Archbishop Martin Kivuva
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
In his keynote address during the opening of Catholic Care for Children (CCC) convening in Nairobi, the Archbishop of Mombasa Archdiocese in Kenya emphasised the role of the Church in caring for children as a ministry given by Christ, and appreciated the idea of involving the society on care reform.
Basing his sharing on St. Luke’s Gospel when Jesus pointed out that the little children belong to the kingdom of God, Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde said, “This is a call to the Church to ensure that all children are well taken care of by exploiting their full potential.”
He disclosed, “The Church has an obligation to promote safe nurturing family care for children: those reunifying from institutions or those in risk of child-family separation.”
Speaking on Tuesday, May 16, to over 100 participants including Bishops, Religious and Clergy, lay partners from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), and government representatives, partners from Vatican, and educational institutions among others, Archbishop Kivuva underscored that care of children should begin from the family which is the “Sanctuary of life and a vital cell of society and the Church.”
“Families are central to God’s plan for his children. They are the fundamental blocks of strong societies,” the Prelate who is the Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) told participants and continued, “It is here that the features of a people take shape; it is here that its members acquire basic teachings.”
The Sister-led initiative on care reform aims to see children grow in safe, nurturing families guided by the Biblical mandate to care for the most vulnerable and animated by the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching.
Themed: “reading the signs of times together: Catholic care for children,” the CCC convening has been organized by the CCC international, CCC Kenya, CCC Uganda, CCC Zambia, CCC Malawi, in partnership with CCC Sri Lanka and the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA).
Narrating that children constitutes the most important assets of our countries, Archbishop Kivuva acknowledged that they are the “World’s most vulnerable resources and its best hope for the future.”
Additionally, he urged participants attending the three-day conference from 15-19th May, that while undertaking deliberation from the meeting, “the best interest of the child should be the guiding principle for a holistic development of a child and better future of the family, the Church, the country and the world as a whole.”
Giving reference with Kenya as a country that has welcomed holistic development of a child, the prelate said, “the government of Kenya has recognised the importance of family by having in place the children Act of 2022 which has put in place welfare services to promote safe and nurturing care of children.”
Besides the care reform, Archbishop Kivuva during his address asked participants to pray for the people of Sudan who are experiencing war in the region.
“All of us are affected by the war and among the many challenges, children are dying and families are separated as people seek refuge. We pray for many people who support through humanitarian assistance,” he said.
