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…
It was with great joy and
happiness that the people of Uganda received the good news that Pope Francis
had scheduled a pilgrimage to Uganda, the Land of Martyrs, from 27-29 November.
It is an honour for the Church in Uganda and for all people of good will to
welcome the Holy Father and join him on this holy journey. On this occasion the
Church in Uganda is delighted to receive the Vicar of Christ, and withgreat
anticipation we are awaiting his message
of peace, mercy and hope. At the numerous gatherings at the selected locations in Kampala, our
capital city, the Church looks forward
to the challenges, to which the Holy Father will call us. For Christ said: “You
will be my witness” (Acts 1:18). Pope Francis’ visit to Uganda is
a testimony of the living and binding ministry our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to Peter, when he
said: “feed my flock…. Take care of my sheep” (Jn 21:15-16). The Church in
Uganda draws her consolation from this universal mission of Peter with which,
we, the Bishops and the whole community of the People of God feel strengthened
in our faith and true witnesses of Christ’s light. The programme drawn up for
the Holy Father’s stay in Uganda signifies the vision of his ministry as that
of a “shepherd living with the odour of the sheep”. Uganda — described by British Prime Minister, Sir Winston
Churchill, in 1907 as the ‘Pearl of Africa’ — enjoys a privileged position
among African countries. It was the first country to have a large number of
canonized saints and it was the first country, in 1913, to have indigenous
priests, including the first indigenous
bishop south of the Sahara, who was ordained in 1939. Pope Francis is the third Supreme Pontiff to visit Uganda. In
1969, Blessed Paul VI was the first pope to visit Uganda. During
his visit, he challenged the Church in Africa, saying: “You Africans must be
missionaries to yourselves”. This message echoes the words of St Daniel Comboni
who, on becoming the Bishop of Central Africa in 1877, visualised missions in
Africa with his motto to “Save Africa with Africa”. The Comboni missionaries working
in northern Uganda, motivated by this motto, trained the local catechists Daudi
Okello and Jildo Irwa who, at Paimol in the Archdiocese of Gulu, while on mission to preach the message
of Jesus, were martyred in 1918. These two martyrs added another page of
Christian witness to the history of our country. St John Paul II’s missionary
journey to Uganda in 1993 brought consolation to a country that was
experiencing war and the notorious insurgency of Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. Pope Francis’ visit is a moment
of grace. As a developing country we are looking forward to his message of caring
for our common home as described in his Encyclical Laudato Si ’. All
agents of evangelization look forward to receiving the Holy Father’s challenge
to be messengers of joy and to radiate the same joy in the work of
evangelisation as was highlighted in Evangelii Gaudium . Another theme so
dear to the Church’s life and ministry is that of the family. As Christians, we
appreciate the beauty of the family, and we recognize that family life as the
place where we come to learn the meaning and value of human relationships. The
Church in Uganda awaits Pope Francis’ invitation to uphold the traditional
Christian family understanding and values as founded on the relationship
between man and woman: “A man and a woman united in marriage, together with
their children, form a family. This institution is prior to any recognition by
public authority, which has an obligation to recognize it” (CCC 2202). Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Archbishop of Kampala…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is scheduled to undertake a three-nation Apostolic Visit to Africa this week.
He leaves the Vatican on the morning of Wednesday, 25 Nov., and is scheduled to land in the early evening in Nairobi – Kenya – on the first leg of the trip that will also take him to Uganda and to Central African
Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni is in Nairobi where she is waiting for the Pope to arrive. She sent us this report.
Listen:
One of the highlights of our day here in Nairobi was definitely the sound of Fr Richard’s familiar voice, loud and clear, on the taxi radio as we wove through heavy downtown traffic.
Yes, it’s true, Vatican Radio really is listened to all over the world, and as Alex, our driver, confirmed, the Kiswahili Programme ranks high on the popularity charts, especially now as Kenya prepares to welcome Pope Francis on his very first visit to the African continent.
Meanwhile, the sprawling Kangemi slum that the Pope is going to visit – and that we were on our way to see – is one of seven slums in Nairobi alone.
You can’t miss it because it’s right in the middle of the bustling business hub that Nairobi has become as the nation continues to grow as a rising economic force in Africa – as witnessed by the hundreds of construction sites, shopping centres and the unmistakable buzz of business in the making.
And that’s also why the shocking poverty in which its 650,000 inhabitants live is a stark and uncomfortable reminder of the widening gap and harrowing divide that separates the few that have much more than enough, and the many who go to bed with a big hole in their stomachs because they have no food and no future.
But a visit to the Parish of St. Joseph the Worker in Kangemi, feverishly preparing to receive Pope Francis on Friday, gave me the chance to chat to some of the faithful polishing the floors of the Church, practicing their songs, making the small garden as beautiful as it can be.
When I asked them what their appeals to Pope Francis will be when he visits the nation this is what they told me:
That he may deliver a message of peace and encourage religious tolerance and mutual acceptance;
That he may be able to lead us on the right path;
That he pray for families and that the youth stay away from drug abuse;
That he may address issues of corruption, tribalism, terrorism and encourage our political leaders to preach peace and unity instead of divisive politics.
And finally, as Beth so beautifully put it: “We are inspired by his humility. May all those in positions of leadership emulate him by putting God and the needs of the less fortunate in society first. Francis – she said – you are an inspiration to many!”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Church remains faithful if she keeps her eyes fixed on Jesus, but she becomes lukewarm and mediocre if she seeks comfort in worldly things. That was Pope Francis’ message on Monday as he reflected on the Gospel reading at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta… Listen to our report: Pope Francis noted that the reading from St Luke’s Gospel tells the story of the widow who puts her two coins in the temple treasury box, while other wealthy worshippers make a great show of the money they’re putting in. Jesus says that “this poor widow put in more than all the rest” because the others were giving away money from their surplus wealth, while she, in her poverty, “has offered her whole livelihood”. In the Bible, Pope Francis said, the widow is the woman who is alone, who has no husband to look after her, who has to manage on her own, who survives on charity. The widow in this Gospel passage, he said, was “a widow who had placed her trust only in the Lord”. I like to look at the widows in the Gospel, he said, as an image of the “widowed” Church who is waiting for Jesus to return. The Church is the bride of Christ, Pope Francis said, but her Lord has gone and her only treasure is in her Lord. If the Church remains faithful, then she leaves everything while waiting for her Lord to return. If she does not have so much faith in the love of her Lord, then she tries to get by in other ways, seeking security in things that are more of this world than of God. The widows of the Gospels, the Pope continued, speak beautifully to us about Jesus and His Church. There is the widow of Nain who was crying as she accompanied her son to be buried outside the city gates. There is the widow who goes to the unjust judge in order to defend her sons, knocking on his door every day and bothering him continuously until he delivers a just sentence for her. This is the widowed Church who prays and intercedes for her children, Pope Francis explained. But the heart of the Church is always with Jesus, the Bridegroom in heaven. According to the desert fathers, the Pope said, our souls also resemble the Church, and the closer our souls, our lives, are to Jesus, the more we are able to avoid worldly, useless things that lead us away from Christ. While the ‘widowed’ Church waits for Jesus, he said, she can be faithful, trusting that her husband will return, or she can be unfaithful to her widowhood, a lukewarm, mediocre, worldly Church seeking comfort in other things. In these last days of the liturgical year, Pope Francis concluded, we would do well to ask ourselves if our souls are searching for the Lord, or if they’re looking for comfort in things which do not please the Lord. Let our souls say “Come Lord Jesus! Come!” And may we leave behind all those useless things which stop us staying faithful. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday morning received the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams. The governor-general later met with the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
Antigua and Barbuda is a two-island nation on the Atlantic edge of the Caribbean Sea, with a population of just over ninety-thousand, of whom around ten-percent are Catholic. Once a British colony, Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of state, with the Governor-General serving as her official representative.
A statement from the Holy See Press Office called the meeting “cordial,” and said the meeting underlined good bilateral relations, which have recently been strengthened by the appointment by Antigua and Barbuda of an Ambassador accredited to the Holy See.
The statement said the talks also focused on the contribution the Catholic Church makes in the protection and promotion of the dignity of the human person, as well as in the fields of education and social assistance. It called for a “fruitful and mutual” collaboration.
Finally, the discussions touched on some regional and global issues, with particular attention paid to migration and climate change.
(from Vatican Radio)…