Synod on Synodality “not a one-man voice”: Kenyan Archbishop on Conversations in Rome

Nairobi, 16 October, 2023 / 9:55 PM

The outcome of the ongoing Synod on Synodality conversations in Rome will be a mix of voices from the entire Church, and not a “one-man voice”, a Kenyan Archbishop participating in the October 4-29 Synod has said.

According to Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of the Archdiocese of Mombasa, members drawn from various categories of the Church are actively participating in the Synod on Synodality conversations, which he has hailed as “a big step forward” in the Church.

 Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde. Credit: Daughters of St. Paul

“What will come out of the ongoing synod on Synodality conversations is not ‘a man-one voice’. It is a ‘many-people voice’ of Sisters, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, young people, and so on. It is a big step forward in the Church,” Archbishop Kivuva told a Kenyan community that gathered for Holy Mass in Rome on Sunday, October 15.

Archbishop Kivuva and Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nyeri celebrated Mass at Collegio San Paulo with “Wakenya Wakatoliki Roma”, an entity comprising two groups of Kenyans in Rome, the Kenyan Priests, Religious, and Seminarians (KPRS) in Rome, and the Kenyan Catholic Community in Rome (KCCR).

Archbishop Martin Kivuva and Archbishop Anthony Muheria. Credit: Daughters of St. Paul

Archbishop Kivuva said that the Kenyan delegates at the Synod on Synodality are in Rome to share experiences of the Church in Africa, as well as to listen to Catholics from other countries.

“We are benchmarking, looking at issues in other countries and why they are there,” the Archbishop of Mombasa, who doubles as the Chairman of the Kenya Catholic Bishops’ Conference (KCCB) said, and added that the ongoing synod is a spirit-filled moment in the history of the Catholic Church.

Archbishop Anthony Muheria. Credit: Daughters of St. Paul

The synod on Synodality, he said, “is a Kairos moment because the world has changed quite a bit.”

“We have more areas of concern that are of social nature,” Archbishop Kivuva added, and explained, “Attendance in Church, especially in Europe has reduced. Vocations have reduced. Here in Rome, they are saying that Africa is the continent of promise because we have the vocations.”

 Credit: Daughters of St. Paul

Archbishop Muheria, in a separate message, highlighted the importance of the ongoing Synodal conversations in Rome, a place he described as a key pillar of the Catholic Church.

“Rome, and the Holy Father, is the pillar of our faith. He is our leader even in these Synodal conversations. The Holy Father is here to guide us and to encourage us in our discussions so that the faith of our Church may not be shaken,” the Kenyan Catholic Archbishop said in an audio recording shared on October 15.

Credit: Wakenya Wakatoliki Roma

Archbishop Muheria recalled that Rome is “the place where Christianity was first investigated,” and added, “Here, we find the witnesses of early Christianity and how they lived. Here, we find the tomb of St. Peter who, in the early persecution of Christians, was arrested and killed. He was killed here and buried here.”

“Here we have our fathers in faith who gave their lives and became witnesses,” the Kenyan member of Opus Dei, who was recently appointed Apostolic Administrator of Embu Diocese in Kenya said.

Credit: Daughters of St. Paul

He added that Rome is “a reminder for us Christians today to give witness to our faith without fear. It is a time to celebrate our role models in faith.”

“Let’s seek to emulate our fathers in faith. Let us not just be Christians in words. Let our faith be shown by our actions,” Archbishop Muheria said.

Credit: Wakenya Wakatoliki Roma (KCCR)

He continued, “Rome is a Holy place and while here, we keep you in our prayers. Let us make our towns, our villages, a place of witness where Christians demonstrate their faith with actions.”