Agenzia Fides

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - The Catholic Church has committed herself so that the March 2013 elections are conducted peacefully and rejects being accused of having taken sides in the 2007-2008 post-election confrontation. This was stated by Fr. Vincent Wambugu, Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Kenya, in a speech in front of the leaders of the Kenyan section of the Catholic Relief Service (CRS). "There is no doubt that Kenyans are anxious over the state of the nation as we approach the March 4, 2013 date pocket of violence in parts of the country like Tana River Delta and Garissa are an indication of the precarious state of the nation," said Fr. Wambugu.
"Kenya is still on the road to recovery from the 2007/2008 post-election violence. After the promulgation of the New Constitution, the Country is still divided along tribal lines," he added. "It is our duty as people who are working in Church institutions to lead the way in the re-birth of a peaceful Kenya." Fr. Wambugu says that it is not by chance that the 2012 Lenten Campaign Theme was "a united and peaceful Kenya ... the Change I want to see. "
The Secretary of the Episcopal Conference stresses in this respect that "As Kenyans we must Accept, Appreciate and Respect the social, cultural and religious individuals, groups and peoples." "This is the first step towards reconciliation, since respect for differences is an inherently necessary condition for genuine relationships between individuals and between groups. The suppression of differences can result in apparent peace, but it creates a volatile situation which is in fact the prelude to fresh outbreaks of violence," he said. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 14/12/2012)