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Kenya: Catholic Church rolls out national healing programmed

The Catholic Church has announced a six-month pastoral healing programme to promote sustainable peace and justice countrywide in the aftermath of the post-election violence, reports CISA News.

The chairman of the Kenya Episcopal Conference Commission for Justice and Peace Archbishop Peter Kairo unveiled the programme at a news conference on Tuesday.

In the first of the activities, 48 Kenyans will lead a pilgrimage to Namugongo Shrine in from May 24 to June 5. The pilgrimage will be flagged off by at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi on Saturday at 8.00 am by Cardinal John Njue.

“This is a healing and thanksgiving pilgrimage passing through places which were hardest hit by the post-election violence,” Archbishop Kairo said. The pilgrims will pass Limuru, Naivahsa, Nakuru, Molo, Kisumu, Eldoret, Kakamega, Mt. Elgon and Mulanda refugee camp in Uganda. The pilgrims will pray and preach peach at camps for the internally displaced persons.

The second activity is distribution of some 1,500 peace flags and 20,000 prayer leaflets throughout parishes. The peace flags will be hoisted at parishes. The cards bear the peace prayer of St Francis of Assisi.

In the third activity, some 30 people (clergy, politicians, youth, women) will take five days to climb Mount Kenya. The team will plant a cross a peace flag and the national flag atop the mountain.

A football tournament to promote peace will be held at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani on June 14 as part of the national healing programme.

The fifth activity is distribution of booklets on Christian values, such as love, compassion, conscience, justice life, peace and other themes connected to the Second African Synod in October 2009.

The programme also proposes that some streets, roads, buildings, town squares around the country be renamed and dedicated to peace.

A 3-day national symposium on peace and reconciliation will be held at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa from May 29 to 30.

The programma also proposes building of peace and justice houses in the areas most hit by the post-election chaos.

A one-year youth programme on politics and civic education in various parishes is proposed. It will be a long-term project to prepare the youth for leadership.

Archbishop Kairo called on all Catholics and people of good will to support the various initiatives.

[05/22/2008]

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