Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nairobi (Agenzia Fides)- The principal Churches in Kenya organised for today, 30 July, an ecumenical prayer service in view of a referendum on the country's Constitution to be held on 4 August.
“Members of the most important Christian Churches in Kenya are taking part in an ecumenical prayer service which started at 11am local time at Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi. The Basilica, which seats 10,000 people, is filled to capacity ” Fides learned from Mike O’Maera, Director of Nairobi based Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA).
Kenyan Christians have strongly criticised the text of the Constitution, to be voted by referendum on August 4. Two main objections have been raised by the Christian confessions. The first concerns the clause which moves the moment when life starts from the moment of conception to the moment of birth. For the Churches this step is propaedeutic to the legalisation of abortion. The second objection regards recognition of Kadhi courts, that is, Islamic civil courts.
The position of the local Catholic Church was confirmed by Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop of Nairobi during a joint press conference, held at Nairobi’s Holy Family Basilica on July 22 when the Cardinal and other religious leaders, addressed a joint ecumenical press conference, announcing the joint ecumenical prayer service on the constitution at the Holy Minor Basilica on July 30. “ The current bubbling issue on whether one should vote for YES or No is not very central for us. On the contrary imparting the right information on the issue with aims to assist our people to make the right decision is of central importance to us,” said the Cardinal.
Referring to a Bishops' Statement issued on 11 May (see Fides 12/5/2010), Cardinal Njue added “some improvements on the draft of the Constitution have been made, but the good has been mixed with some bad paragraphs which affect moral life and rights. Some think only a small percentage of the draft constitution is bad. Unfortunately this is not true. Evil however small can act as bad leaven, changing and corrupting the whole from within”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 30/7/2010)
