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Kenya’s President Joins Pope Francis in Calling for “urgent end to violence” Globally, Highlights Sudan, DR Congo

Kenya’s President, William Ruto with Pope Francis in Rome. Credit: Vatican Media

Kenya’s President, William Ruto, has expressed his support for Pope Francis’ call for an end to violence in all parts of the world, including the Northeastern African nation of Sudan, the Central African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the East-Central African nation of South Sudan.

In remarks following an audience with the Holy Father on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Borgo Egnazia, Apulia, Italy, President Ruto recognized the role of the Rome-based Lay Catholic association dedicated to the provision of social services and arbitrating conflicts, Sant’Egidio Community and lauded the “Tumaini (Hope) Initiative”, a project that South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, has undertaken to realize a lasting solution to the protracted crisis in his country. 

“Kenya joins Pope Francis in calling for (an) urgent end to violence in all parts of the world including Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” the Kenyan President said Friday, June 14 after the audience with Pope Francis.

He added, “We are encouraged that the Tumaini Initiative that is co-sponsored by the Sant’ Egidio Catholic Community in Rome Italy, and the government of Kenya is yielding fruits in bringing lasting peace in South Sudan.”

President Ruto said he was “confident that the warring groups will agree to stop the fighting and give peace a chance.”

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In his address at the G7 summit that brings together government leaders from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and Italy, President Ruto said Africa continues to endure numerous conflicts, including long-forgotten wars that have results in the loss of countless human lives.

“In Sudan, hundreds of thousands have died, millions are displaced and face starvation. In the Middle East, the conflict in Gaza has claimed tens of thousands of lives, devastated the livelihoods of millions, and caused global economic shockwaves,” the Kenyan head of state said.

He continued, “Europe is grappling with a major conflict that has brought unthinkable carnage and widespread economic disruption.”

President Ruto said the world is “finding itself in the grip of relentless global challenges of unprecedented magnitude.”

“Only effective collective action by the international community can offer a reasonable chance of managing and overcoming these challenges,” the Kenyan President, who had an audience with Pope Francis on June 14 said.

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In his address during the summit, Pope Francis warned against allowing artificial intelligence (AI) replace human decision-making.

“Faced with the marvels of machines, which seem to know how to choose independently, we should be very clear that decision-making, even when we are confronted with its sometimes dramatic and urgent aspects, must always be left to the human person,” he said in front of world leaders June 14.

Pope Francis further warned, “We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines.”

“We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs: human dignity itself depends on it,” he emphasized.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.