AMECEA: Church has a Role to Advocate for Equity and Peace, Says AMECEA’s Coordinator for Integral Human Department
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Among the many roles for the Church in the society, the coordinator for Promoting Integral Human Department (PIHD) in the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region disclosed to the people that she (the Church) is also expected to champion for peace and fairness of humanity.
During a recent consultation meeting convened by Pax Christi Internationals, a Catholic peace movement whose mission is to promote peace, respect of human rights, justice and reconciliation throughout the world, Fr. Paul Mung’athia Igweta emphasized that the Church as ambassadors of Christ, need to promote peace, restoration and reconciliation in the society.
The one-day meeting that took place at the Loreto Mary Ward Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, was a follow up on the consultation of Pax Christi International’s network in Africa that was held in Johannesburg, south Africa in December 2016, share experiences, illustrate the network and regionalization of Pax Christi and explore the possibility of networking in the East and Horn of Africa.
In his sharing with the participants, Fr. Igweta highlighted the various responsibilities of the Church in advocating for equity and peace saying, “As a vessel of peace and development, the Church should resist any opposition to peace and prosperity in whatever forms, be it political or cultural forces of evil, identifying with and speaking on behalf of the vulnerable especially those oppressed economically, politically, socially or spiritually.”
Additionally, in the context of ethnic and political polarization, the cleric said, “the Church must stand for and advocate for national integration by modelling and promoting equity, fairness, justice and common identity.” Besides, since politics is about administration of the people’s well-being, and the systems and processes that determine resource distribution and welfare of society, “the Church should not be a spectator, but an active participant to ensure equity and justice.”
The Pax Christi’s meeting for December 2016 in Johannesburg, was to reflect on the rich history of African approaches to nonviolence and just peace with the aim to create and enhance cultures of peace and reconciliation.
According to Fr. Igweta, realization of equity and peace calls for church leaders to discern and uphold integrity, and have the courage to speak prophetically, irrespective of gifts offered by politicians. In this way, the church “must speak out against the ills in the society, set and model standards of just society, and do all this in the spirit of love, compassion and bipartisanship in its engagement approaches.”
Acknowledging that without justice and equity, there can be no lasting peace, the Kenyan cleric narrates that as Pax Christi envisions a world where communities are built upon the principles of nonviolence, justice, and peace, “It therefore believes that by following Christ’s teachings and embracing Gospel nonviolence, individuals and societies can work together to create a more just, harmonious, and peaceful world.”
