Talk to end terror, Pope tells Muslim, Christian leaders

Pope Francis at a meeting with religious leaders in Nairobi on November 26, 2015. PHOTO | AFP 

By ALLAN ODHIAMBO, aodhiambo@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• Pope Francis called for unity between Muslims and Christian faiths in Kenya, citing the various attacks in the country by terrorists ascribing to Islam who target mostly Christians.
• Mr Abdullah El-Busaidy, the chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, also called for co-operation and tolerance between the different religious groups.
• Head of the Anglican Church in Kenya, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, said Pope Francis’s presence in the country would be of great encouragement for all the Christians of Kenya as they journey in their faith.

Pope Francis has urged religious groups in Africa to dialogue and live in harmony to help stem hate and violence by extremist groups.

He called for unity between Muslims and Christian faiths in Kenya, citing the various terror attacks in the country by terrorists ascribing to Islam who target mostly Christians.

“All too often, young people are being radicalised in the name of religion to sow discord and fear, and to tear at the very fabric of our societies,” the pope told a gathering of religious leaders in Nairobi on Thursday.

Bridging divisions between Muslims and Christians is a main theme of his first tour of the continent that also takes him to Uganda – which, like Kenya, has been victim of terror attacks – and the Central African Republic, riven by sectarian conflict.

“Ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue is not a luxury. It is not something extra or optional, but essential,” he said at a morning meeting with about 25 religious leaders in the Vatican Embassy in Nairobi.

He stressed that God’s name “must never be used to justify hatred and violence.”

Pope Francis referred to Somalia’s Al-Shabaab attack on Westgate shopping mall in 2013 and this year’s assault on Garissa University College.

The trendy shopping mall re-opened recently, nearly two years after Shabaab militants massacred 67 people in the building and held out for four days as security forces laid siege to the complex.

In April this year, 147 people, mostly students, were killed in north-eastern Kenya in another assault by members of the Somali militant group.

It is estimated that more than 400 people have been killed over the past two years, prompting Britain and other Western countries to issue travel advisories warning their citizens to avoid non-essential trips to Kenya.

Mr Abdullah El-Busaidy, the chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem), also called for cooperation and tolerance.

“As people of one God and of this world, we must stand up and in unison, clasp hands together in all the things that are essential for our collective progress,” he said at the meeting, adding that doctrinal differences should be put aside.

Speaking while welcoming the Pope to the meeting, Head of the Anglican Church in Kenya, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, said Pope Francis’s presence in the country would be of “great encouragement for all the Christians of Kenya” as they journey in their faith.

“We pray that your visit will encourage Christians throughout all churches in Africa, to continue steadfastly upholding the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while influencing society positively and constructively,” said Archbishop Wabukala.

The pope’s tour will also seek to address the continent’s fast-growing Catholic population, with the number of African Catholics expected to reach half a billion by 2050.

The most hazardous stop may be the Central African Republic, where dozens of people have been killed since September in violence between mostly Muslim Selena rebels and Christian anti-Balaka militias. The pope has brushed off safety concerns.

The Kenyan government has increased spending on security following a series of terrorist attacks, which have left key economic sectors such as tourism on their knees, and foreign direct investment at its lowest.

“These terrorist activities continue to undermine the investment climate in the country and have contributed to the loss of jobs and declining activity in our tourism industry.

“To counter these security challenges, the government is committed to significantly increase resources to the security sector for purchase of the necessary equipment to effectively address the terrorism menace,” Mr Rotich said when he presented his 2015/16 Budget to Parliament.