From: Ouko joachim omolo
Voices of Justice for Peace
Regional News

BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
MOLO-KENYA
MONDAY, 20, 12

Blessed John Paul II Parish Evangelizing Teams held their twelfth National Workshop at Ukarimu Centre in Molo, Nakuru Catholic Diocese from August 16 to 19 2012. The theme of the workshop centered on Christ the Heart of African life, the source of reconciliation-justice and peace.

Blessed John Paul II Parish Evangelizing Teams in a group photo-photo by Mwalimu Rurinja

Rev Fr Richard Quinn of the Maryknoll missionaries, the Spiritual Director of the team said the theme was a fulfillment of the Second Special Assembly for Africa whose main emphasis was on paths towards Reconciliation, Justice and Peace.

Since the Christian family is called to be a domestic church, a place where “all the members evangelize and are evangelized, it was appropriate that Blessed John Paul II Parish Evangelizing Teams to evangelize through families, especially Small Christian Communities.

Because young people represent the majority of the population of Africa, there was need for children to be targeted. Children attract the special attention of the Church because they are a gift of God, source of hope and renewal. That is why they must be given special protection by families and society, especially against various intolerable and deplorable forms of treatment.

This type of evangelization should be carried on in accordance to the signs, where children are taught how to think and not what to think. How we should evangeliz children fleeing their homes because of fear from various forms of abuse such as rape, sexual slavery, and child labor among others.

Another challenge is how to evangelize children from single parents whose demographics show a general increase. Today in Kenya there are many girls who drop out of school due to pregnancies. Some because of poverty engage in commercial sex.

In its introductory remarks, one of the African leading theologians, Rev Fr Laurenti Magesa in the book: Exploring the Future of Mission in Africa-in celebration of Maryknoll’s 100 years in mission, evangelization must have a new approach.

This is because mission is understood in a more compressive sense today than was the case only a few decades ago. While traditionally doing mission or being on or in mission calls on people to accept baptism in order to become visible members of the church, today as Magesa emphasizes evangelization should go beyond this narrow definition.

It should entail involvement in social, economic, and political issues as essential aspects. Evangelization strictly speaking should be centered on justice, peace and reconciliation within and among nations-on good governance, health matters, education, freedom, human rights, liberation and interreligious dialogue.

In other words, evangelization should aim at enabling people to continue to live and hope in a better future. Against the background that as Kenyans prepare for the forthcoming general elections, evangelization should focus on quality of a good leadership.

The question electorates should ask is this: Are any of the candidates of either party, or independents, standing has been implicated in any corruption, impunity, wither directly or indirect, or for something that is intrinsically evil. If that’s the case, electorate, regardless of his party affiliation, ethnic or regional, shouldn’t be voting for such a person.

Chapter Six of the New Constitution section seventy three defines the quality and responsibilities of good leadership as one’s ability to demonstrate respect for the people, brings honour to the nation and dignity to the office- a person who promotes public confidence in the integrity of the office and vests in the State officer the responsibility to serve the people, rather than the power to rule them.

A good leader therefore must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the people he or she serves toward the goal. Action here is the mark of a leader- a leader with integrity, the integration of outward actions and inner values- the same on the outside and on the inside.

Post election violence-2007/2008 took place due to bad leadership. The story of Nancy Wanjiru carried by Sunday Nation (August 5, 2012) tell it all. Her husband was not only beaten and left fro dead, she was raped, an incident that has caused her depression, trauma and shame.

PHOTO COURTESY | SALATON NJAU -Nancy Wanjiru 37, who was a victim of rape during the Post Elections Violence in 2008, is overcome by emotion when she narrated her ordeal to the Sunday Nation on August 1, 2012. Story by KIPCHUMBA SOME- Sunday, August 5 2012.

Flashback: The body of a woman lies on the floor as her child cries during ethnic clashes in 2008 as a result of negative ethnicity/ REUTERS

As Pope John Paul II expressed in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, the suffering of the African peoples is linked to bad leadership. This remains a major challenge to evangelizers in Africa.

In some African countries this type of bad leadership has led to persistent in social tensions that impede progress and give rise to political disturbances and armed conflicts. It explains why in some African countries continue to witness continuous violations of fundamental human rights as well as the related consequences.

Peace is often confused with a kind of unanimity or tranquillity imposed by force and keeping power in the hands of a single group to the detriment of the people. In such situations, citizens are unable to take part in public life and popular opinion cannot make a difference.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
People for Peace in Africa
Tel +254-7350-14559/+254-722-623-578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Peaceful world is the greatest heritage
That this generation can give to the generations
To come- All of us have a role.