Catholic priests have been urged to stick to the vows of priesthood and avoid sexual immorality as it embarrassed the church.
Those who cannot adhere to celibacy should quit, Kitale Bishop Maurice Crowley (above) said.
“Do not choose to become a priest then later on bring disgrace to the church by falling into temptation and engaging in sexual immorality. That is completely unacceptable for you as a priest,” Crowley said on Saturday.
He regretted that cases of priests deviating from their calling are on the increase.
He was speaking in Eldoret during the ordination of six priests. Crowley is also the acting bishop of Eldoret following the death of Bishop Cornelius Korir in 2017.
“As human beings it is obvious that you will tempted but pray to God so that He can help you to overcome the pitfalls in priesthood,” he said.
The bishop said priests must avoid any actions that put their moral integrity to question and undermine the church. “Yours are spiritual matters and keep to the core mandate of priesthood,” he said.
“Be faithful to the masses that you will serve. Don’t let down the church but be good example. Never deviate from the truth.”
Last month, the Archdiocese of Nairobi kicked out a priest over sexual immorality claims.
The priest from Githunguri, Kiambu, was accused of having sex with female parishioners including schoolgirls and married women.
