KENYA: Bishops in Kenya Invite All Catholics for a Nine-Day Novena Prayer for the Nation
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
In light of the ongoing Generation Z (Gen-Z) -led protests that have brought violence and deaths of young people to the country of Kenya, members of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) on Tuesday, June 25, called for an urgent need for divine intervention and guidance asking all Catholics to begin a nine-day novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“We invite all Kenyan Catholics that from this evening we begin a nine-day novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to pray for our country,” Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba, the KCCB chairman and the Local Ordinary of Kisumu Archdiocese shared on Tuesday during the press release at Donum Dei, Roussel House in Karen, Nairobi when the demonstrations were ongoing.
As the nation is experiencing turbulent times, with widespread disorder affecting communities, livelihoods, and peace due to the concerns about the Finance Bill 2024, the country needs prayers now, more than ever, to seek God’s mercy, wisdom, and healing.
During the demos, the Bishops noticed that there was excessive use of force by the police, a move they condemned saying, “While appreciating several occasions the police have tried to act rightly, we decry and condemn in the strongest terms, the use of force by the police, the arrests, and the indiscriminate and unnecessary use of live bullets. Unwarranted attacks on peaceful protesters cannot be justified.”
They called on the police to focus on criminals who implant themselves in peaceful protests to create chaos and rob or destroy property as they ensure peaceful assemblies of any kind and not fuel violence and public hate towards the same police that are supposed to protect the people.
Affirming that places of worship are Sacred and should be respected, the Prelates said, “They are God’s space and therefore we can’t use them for any other agenda but that which relates to God.”
They added, “Churches accommodate people irrespective of their opinions or political standing. However, we emphasize that we the Catholic Bishops, have issued clear guidelines to our priests and pastoral agents not to use liturgical spaces for political agitation of any kind. All are welcome and should feel at home in our churches but respect the places of worship.”
The bishops further condoled families who lost their loved ones during the protests, sending sympathy and prayers to the policeman who lost his hands due to an accident with a teargas canister as they concluded, “Life is sacred and should be protected by all means. We appeal to IPOA (Independent Policing Oversight Authority) to bring the police to book for the lives lost needlessly.”
