?Encouraging a spirit of religious tolerance – In Kenya, as a sign of hope for entire continent

Papal visits have never
been taken for granted anywhere in the world since time immemorial and Kenya is
no exception. The reason behind this is that, unlike other leaders who are
either civil or religious, the Pope fills both roles as statesman and religious
leader (Vicar of Christ). Papal visits leave an impact on the hearts of those
who are blessed to see the Pope for generations to to come.

The first Pope to visit
Kenya was St John Paul II. During his papacy, he visited our beloved country
three times: in 1980, 1985 and 1995.

A lot has changed
since Pope John Paul II visited our
country 20 years ago, on 8 September 1995. A palpable excitement is building in
Kenya as we prepare to welcome the Holy Father. It is uniting a country that is
home to 44 million people from 42 tribes. Excitement is evident in millions of
Kenyans irrespective of their denomination, age or social status.

Since the first Holy
Ghost missionaries stepped foot in Mombasa, Kenya, in 1890, the Catholic
community has grown in leaps and bounds. Out of 44 million inhabitants, 14.5
million are Catholic faithful spread across four metropolitan provinces of
Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nyeri covering a total of 24 Dioceses, one
Vicariate and one Military Ordinariate. The number of new dioceses has grown
steadily — from eight to 26 today.

Five new dioceses have
been created since the last Papal visit in 1995. These include, the Diocese of
Kericho, created on 6 December 1995; the Diocese of Malindi created on 2 June
2000; the Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo, created on 15th December 1995; the
Diocese of Maralal, created in 2001, and the Diocese of Nyahururu that was
created on 5 December 2002.

With gratitude and
humility, I must admit that the Church in Kenya owes a lot to Pope Francis and, indeed, to the long line of
his predecessors. Pope Pius IX in his encyclical Fidei Donum, more than
a century ago, rallied the Church to send more missionaries to Africa. His call
was heeded and continues to be heeded by thousands of missionaries who help to
set up pastoral stations in some of Kenya’s poorest, most far-flung regions.

The Fidei Donum
spirit is best exemplified by Blessed Sr Irene Stephane, who was beatified in a
colourful ceremony, in the Archdiocese of Nyeri on 23 May 2015. The Sister was
given the name ‘Nyaatha’ which means ‘the merciful one’ for her selflessness
and love for the poor. Kenyans indeed view the beatification of Blessed Irene
Stephane Nyaatha, and now, the maiden visit of
Pope Francis, as a sign of hope — hope in a renewed faith; a
re-awakening of the Church’s mission in Kenya: to witness Christ.

We are further
strengthened in hope and faith by the ongoing process of beatification of the
Servant of God Michael Maurice Cardinal Otunga — now Venerable and indeed a
true son of Kenyan soil — who hosted Pope John Paul II during his visits in
Kenya and who is a model to be emulated
for his virtues of simplicity, passion for pastoral work and concern for
the poor and above all his love for God and humanity. This is a clear
manifestation of the fruits of missionary work and Pope Francis’ visit is going
to rekindle that spirit and leave an indelible mark on the history of our land
and her people for generations to come.

The last papal visit to
Kenya came in the wake of strong socio-political winds of change that were
sweeping through Africa in general and particularly in Kenya.

In his address to the
nation during his last Papal visit, Pope St John Paul II said: “I come as one
who is deeply concerned for the destiny of Africa’s peoples. Africa is at
crossroads. Its peoples and their leaders are being called to exercise all
their wisdom in the difficult and urgent task of promoting a development which
is not just economic and material, but involves building a civilization of
respect for all of society’s members — for their rights and freedoms, as well
as for the spiritual nature of every person”.

His wise words were
timely. At that time, the country was undergoing a socio-political transition.
Indeed, St Pope John Paul’s visit heralded a period of great changes for our
country; changes that the Church in Kenya, helped to shape and to shepherd.

His holiness Pope
Francis’ first visit to Kenya is not so different from that of Pope St John
Paul II twenty years ago. Although a lot has changed in Kenya, the challenges
closely resemble to those that Pope St John Paul II correctly pointed out.

Millions of Kenyans
still live in poverty. Families are breaking under the heavy pressure of
materialism and the loss of African
values. Divisive politics, corruption and negative ethnicity continues to eat
into our society. The Church has been on the forefront in pointing out these
challenges, and actively engaging the Government to solve them.

In pastoral work, the
Church in Kenya has made tremendous progress over the years. Vocations have
been thriving; we now have hundreds of seminarians preparing for pastoral work.
Today, we can proudly say that the Church in Kenya is sending missionaries out
into the world. Hundreds of our priests, religious brothers and sisters are
serving throughout Europe, Asia and America.

We not only believe in
reaching out to the millions of souls
who need Christ in their lives, but also in bearing witness through
service to the community. The Catholic Church in Kenya runs more than 8,000
schools, 470 health facilities and 18 medical training colleges.

The future of the
Church in Kenya is bright. It is reflected in the increasingly vibrant
Pontifical Missionary Children across all 26 dioceses, and in the active
participation of the youth. They are our future, the pillars of the Church.

When Pope Francis
touches African soil for the first time,
we are reminded of his consoling message of condolence during our darkest
moments, when terrorists attacked and killed 147 students in Garissa University
on 4 April 2015. In his message after the attacks, the Pope called “upon all
those in authority to redouble their efforts to work with all men and women in
Kenya to bring an end to such violence and to hasten the dawn of a new era of
brotherhood, justice and peace”.

Pope Francis’ visit to
Kenya will strengthen our resolve to fight terrorism and encourage the spirit
of religious tolerance and cohesion across the globe. His presence puts his
words into practice, as he comes to empathize with all those who have lost loved ones due either to political or
religious intolerance. His physical presence will speak louder than words.

The Holy Father’s visit
is a God send, as he comes to uplift Africa in hope and faith, to encourage and
motivate the world that all is not lost and to strengthen our resolve to strive
to make Kenya the pearl of Africa. Your Holiness, Karibu (welcome) to
Kenya.

John Njue
Cardinal-Archbishop of
Nairobi