The Catholic Church in Kenya

Religious leaders are still looking at what went wrong in Kenya after the last election. The escalation of violence that left hundreds dead and thousands homeless is too recent to be ignored. In a land marked by tribal and ethnic loyalties the religious leaders are not looking to blame but rather to find a new course, to reconcile.

Leaders of every major faith, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu and Muslim have come together to respond to the humanitarian crisis. Initially the groups had worked on rescue missions. Now they are working on coordinating services to speed up resettlement, to rebuild where possible and to move toward real reconciliation and not simply the cessation of hostilities.

The faith communities are working with one another. They are also working with the Red Cross and a variety of NGOs.

Kenya has also experienced violence in its schools including arson. In a move aimed at having a long-term effect on the character of the nation the Protestant churches and the Catholic Church of Kenya have called for compulsory religious education in schools. The goal is to help students develop a personal ethic or as we would say, virtues.

The real challenge will be if all of these faith communities can work with one another come the next election or the next crisis.


The Lord Almighty-Kenyan Version