“You're not alone”: Apostolic Nuncio to Pioneer Bishop of Newly Erected Kenyan Diocese

The Vatican diplomat reminded the immediate former Bishop of Kenya’s Embu Diocese, where he had served since his Episcopal Consecration in July 2009 that in Dioceses, “there are a number of consultative bodies, which are working under and with the Bishop, and they all have their own responsibilities.”

“I think of the College of Consultors, the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Finance Council, the Presbyteral Council, all these councils are governed by Canon Law and particular statutes and as you are building up now this Diocese so to say from the beginning make sure you put those structures in place in order to build a participatory Church, a synodal Church in which the Clergy, Religious and laity have their role to play and in which their voices are heard,” Archbishop van Megen said.

He went on to underscore the need for servant leadership modeled after a good shepherd. He said, “The Good Shepherd knows about his sheep and by observing and listening to them comes to understand their needs, needs which at times might be very different from what you might have imagined.”

“We need to know about the sufferings of our people. We need to know how difficult it can be for a normal family to make ends meet,” the Dutch-born Vatican diplomat said, and added, “The Bishop, as Peter said, is not to load it over his sheep. Loading it over the sheep will ultimately scatter them and turn the Bishop into a wolf himself.”

On July 22, Pope Francis erected the Catholic Diocese of Wote as a new Episcopal See in Kenya and appointed Bishop Kariuki as its pioneer Bishop.

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The Kenyan Bishop was ordained a Priest of Embu Diocese in January 1993. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Commission for Education and Religious Education (CERE) of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB).

In his homily September 30, Archbishop van Megen cautioned the pioneer Bishop of Wote Diocese against direct involvement in politics, saying, “A Bishop is not a politician and should not aspire to be one. Civil authority and spiritual authority are strictly separated. No politics in the Church and no Church in politics.”

The Vatican diplomat, who has represented the Holy Father in Kenyan since February 2019 following his transfer from Sudan emphasized the need for humility in Episcopal service. 

He said, “A true Shepherd leads in humility, doesn't turn his homily into political speeches, doesn't turn his Church into a political venue, doesn't speak at political gatherings; he doesn't express himself in favor of one politician or the other.”

“Bishop Kariuki, you are called to tend the flock of Christ that has been entrusted to you with care and compassion. You are called to feed them with the word of God and the sacraments and to heal their wounds and their illnesses,” Archbishop van Megen said during the September 30 event. 

In his maiden speech as Local Ordinary of Wote, Bishop Kariuki said, “I am a firm believer in unity of purpose.” He promised to foster collaboration with “my Priests, Sisters, worshippers and leaders to ensure we move ahead.”

Following his installation, Bishop Kariuki is to oversee the new Kenyan Diocese, which starts off with 31 Parishes, 90 Diocesan Priests, nine Religious Priests, 36 Major Seminarians and 732 Catechists, as well as 200 educational institutions, according to the July 22 Holy See report.

The Holy Father erected the Diocese of Wote with dismembered territories of the Diocese of Machakos, making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nairobi.

The new Diocese of Wote that has been curved from Machakos Diocese is to have its Cathedral at the current St. Joseph the Worker Wote Parish.

Covering the territory of Kenya’s Makueni County, the Catholic Diocese of Wote borders various Kenyan Counties, including Machakos to the North, Kitui to the East, Taita Taveta to the South, and Kajiado to the West.

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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.