Mombasa Prays for the Country as Week of Christian Unity ends
By Sr. Bridgita Samba Mwawasi
Emotions were high at the Holy Ghost Cathedral yesterday (Friday) as Christians in Mombasa prayed for peace in the country. The prayers for peace were organized by Christian churches in Mombasa. The Friday gathering marked the culmination of a week of prayers for Christian unity during which participants also prayed for the country following the post election violence.

Speaking during the occasion, Catholic Archbishop Boniface Lele said the prayers were held on a day (January 25th) that Catholics the world over celebrate the conversion of St. Paul, known as the apostle of the gentiles. St. Paul was converted from a persecutor of Christians to a staunch defender of the faith. The belief of Christians is that they are a symbol of the body of Christ in whom there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles.

The bishop called for dialogue and cooperation as a way of remaining united amid differences. He also challenged the churches to seek ways of assisting the affected, while appealing to the government to ensure displaced people are resettled and assisted to begin life anew.

Youths from Kiembeni parish moved the crowd to tears as they engaged the audience with questions on the recent happenings in the country that have threatened to tear the country apart. Why is this happening? Was their query that no one could respond to.

“It happened just after Christmas”, narrated one of the youths in a role play. They lamented the fact that Christmas time, supposed to be a time of joy when Christians everywhere celebrate the birth of Christ, turned out to be a time of mourning for Kenya.

Their play was crowned by the symbolic presentation of an effigy of a dove by five year old Hilda Mose. Hilda, who is in baby class at the Great News School in Bamburi was carried by two youths. Unknown to her, her innocent image gently carrying the dove as a symbol of peace will remain in the minds of many people for a very long time. The message she carried is the greatest desire for every Kenyan and the international community: Peace is what all are craving for.

In solidarity with the churches was none other than the Coast Provincial Commissioner, Mr. Ernest Munyi. The P.C thanked the churches for organizing the prayers. He mourned the loss of lives and property. Several areas in Mombasa were affected by the post election violence, he said. They included Likoni, Mikindani, Bombolulu, Mishomoroni and Magongo.

He appealed to Kenyans to tolerate each other and live together as brothers and sisters. The commissioner also thanked the humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross, the Churches, Mosques, and individuals who assisted those affected by the clashes.

The week of prayer for Christian unity is celebrated annually from January 18 -25. This year marks the centenary of this week which was first celebrated in 1908 after being advocated by an Anglican priest, Paul Wattson. The Catholic Church embraced the week of prayer in 1935, advocated by Fr. Paul Couturier of France.
The theme for this year’s week of prayer is based on 1Thess5:17 “Pray without ceasing”,
which stresses the essential role of prayer in the life of Christians as they seek to be united in Jesus Christ. In Mombasa each of the prayer days had a different pastor from a different denomination as the main speaker of the day.

Those who participated in the final day of prayers in Mombasa included Bishop Pius Kagwe of the Methodist Church, Bishop Macdonald Kitwa of the Good News Evangelical Bible Centre, Bishop Joseph Maisha of Ushindi Mkombozi, Bishop Benson Muthama and Bishop Mwaura.

The coordinator of pastoral activities at the archdiocese of Mombasa, Sr. Leonida Katunge said the success of the week can be attributed to the cooperation of the organizers who included the Pentecostal churches in Mombasa, the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya, Organization of Africa Instituted Churches, and the Catholic Church, among others.

Sr. Leonida says she is greatly troubled by the recent events and hopes that there will be no more bloodshed in the country as former UN Secretary Koffi Annan spearheads the mediation process between President Mwai Kibaki and leader of the opposition, Raila Odinga. The Electoral Commission of Kenya declared Mr. Kibaki the presidential winner of the December 27th 2007 general elections that are being claimed to have been rigged. Mr. Odinga is insisting he won the presidency and that it was stolen from him. Since the announcement, there has been sporadic violence around the country. More than 600 people have been killed while thousands others have been displaced.

“We need to take care of lives”, asserts Sr. Leonida. “Who will our politicians lead if all the people are killed?” she wonders. The week of prayer for Christian unity was, therefore, an opportune moment for Christians to burry their differences and intercede for the country in one voice.

*ENDS*