A Catholic priest in Mombasa has defended the church against claims of being out of touch and remaining silent amid abductions and the killing of anti-government critics.
Fr Vincent Alicho, the parish priest of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shanzu, said the church has always preached against ills in society and has never diverged from its preachings.
The Nigerian missionary said the church has always played its role in ensuring it guides both the youth and the government in critical instances when there seems to be a deviation.
“No, we don’t fail as a church. The church has a unique message to pass and it is always constant in passing the message.”
“Let me take you to the message of Easter. Jesus said ‘Peace be with you’. If you look at the preaching, the church is always about peace. It is always about love,” Fr Alicho said.
Speaking on Sunday after the service, he said the church has always preached about harmony, brotherhood and sisterhood.
“The church has never failed in her teachings. It is left for us to imbibe, to listen and see, because if you listen to the words of the church, we will gain a better direction. We have never failed in our teachings. The teachings remain constant,” he said.
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church Shanzu has lined up a series of events this week, culminating in a get-together games next Sunday.
Fr Alicho said the events are meant to bring closer the old generation and the Gen Z, to help improve their relation.
The events in the ‘Sacred Heart Week’ will include quizzes, praise and worship sessions, adoration, preparation, among others.
It will culminate in a feast of the community, where all the four out-stations of the parish will come together and have a meal after the Sunday mass before different games including football, volleyball, races, tug-of-war, among others are played.
“We will be celebrating oneness and togetherness. The aim of our celebration is unity in our community. We have come from different places, tribes and communities here in our parish,” the Nigerian missionary said.
He said there are signs of danger in the world, not only in Kenya, where nations are attacking each other, and authorities clashing with its population in Kenya.
The events come in the same week when the Gen Z are preparing to commemorate those who died during last June’s anti-government protests.
The Catholic priest, who was flanked by two elders of the church, said the events across the country and the globe at large, are bad for children to watch.
“If that is not nipped in the bud, it goes down to the children. Children learn the meaning of war and how to fight. But that is not how we are supposed to train our children,” Fr Alicho said.
He said the events this week at the church are meant to show that children, youth and the elders can interact freely.
He called on the older generation in the country to understand the Gen Z but also called on the Gen Z to try and understand the older generation so they can live in harmony.
“When these children protest, they want somebody to pat them on the shoulder and say ‘come on, we know what concerns you’ and we can provide for your needs,” the priest said.
He said when the young generation protest, the older generation should listen because the young have a message to pass.
Hillary Muchira, a church elder, said churches all over the country should learn from the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Shanzu to enhance unity among different generations.
Peter Munyao, the parish men chairperson said time has come for parents to understand their children.
“We are the ones who have given birth to, raised and educated these children. So when they come up with something, we must be ready to listen to them and try to understand them,” Munyao said.
He however, said children must also be ready to listen to and understand their elders so there can be harmony between the two generations.
