AFRICA/KENYA - “The wounds of hatred are still fresh and in order to heal the Church has to affirm that reconciliation is an essential instrument to accomplish justice and peace”: Archbishop of Kisumu's Synod address

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - “Due to post 2007 election violence our church witnessed the death of over 1300 Kenyas and the internal displacement of over 350,000 Kenyans. The wounds of hatred are still fresh and in order to heal the Church has to affirm that reconciliation is an essential instrument to accomplish justice and peace and has the priority place on the evangelization agenda.” This is what Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu (Kenya) said in his address to the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.
Immediately following President Kibaki's victory in the elections in December 2007, which were challenged by opposition leader Odinga, Kenya was overtaken by violent conflict, in which at least of thousand people died and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes. The crisis was resolved with the creation of a government of national unity in which Kibaki is the Head of State and Odinga is Prime Minister.
However, national reconciliation, as Archbishop Okoth affirms, can only be “God-driven, without the gospel nothing shall be achieved. Ordinarily as we know it, human nature without the grace of God is vengeful and so it is odd for anybody to imagine that the many tribes in Kenya shall not go after each other’s throat again given an opportunity for antagonism in future unless the healing and reconciliation are given a priority.”
The Archbishop continues: “Our Country Kenya has been torn apart, neighbors have turned against neighbors, daughters against fathers, brothers against brothers, mothers against children, tribes have turned against tribes. In short, people have fought, people have died, women and girls have been raped, property has been lost, life savings and investments have gone up in smoke within days if not hours. This sequence of tragic and deliberate wanton destructions, willed and executed by sections of some people is still very fresh.”
Thus, Archbishop Okoth highlights that: “The church in Kenya strongly feels the need to provide a clear direction on reconciliation process...Reconciliation has to be a process of healing the impossible hatred and can be achieved through five stages:
Remember the sins, wrong actions and utterances we have committed in full without excuses. Feel sorry about them and promise ourselves not to repeat them again Repent in freedom from the depth of our being Confess them openly and experience remorse Make reparation for the evil we have done and the damage we have caused to ourselves, community, environment and God.”
Archbishop Okoth closes his address by recalling the role of priests in the process of reconciliation: “the Catholic priests are called upon to remain pastors and therefore the focus of reconciliation for everybody regardless of their tribe, creed and ethnic group. The teaching of the Church on this role of a priest is very clear, namely that you are a priest to everybody and you must therefore be concerned for everybody.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 13/10/2009)