The Anglican Church has failed the people of Kenya by not speaking with a \u201cprophetic voice\u201d\u009d in the wake of the disputed Dec 27 elections, the former Archbishop of Kenya has declared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did not need Tutu to come all the way from South Africa to solve this crisis. We did not need Kofi Annan…<\/p>\n
The Church should have been able to solve this problem.<\/p>\n
But they are seen as partisan,\u201d\u009d Archbishop David Gitari told the East African Standard.<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s post-election violence has led to the deaths of over 1,000 people and forced over 350,000 from their homes.<\/p>\n
Last week the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) apologised to the nation for the partisan political divisions within the churches, which had muted its prophetic voice. \u201cReligious leaders failed to stay on the middle path, they took sides and were unable to bring the unity needed when the crisis arose,\u201d\u009d NCCK secretary-general Canon Peter Karanja said on Feb 13.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Standard, Dr Gitari recounted the church-led campaign to end one-party political rule in the 1990s. \u201cThe Church is a reconciler and a reconciler does not take sides unless he is completely sure the side he is taking is the right one,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n
However, we are called \u201cthe light of the world and salt of the earth. Whoever does wrong has to be challenged, whether that person is your brother or tribesman,\u201d\u009d the retired archbishop said.<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s Anglican bishops either were \u201cnot courageous enough or have taken sides,\u201d\u009d he charged. The church\u2019s bishops were split down the middle along tribal lines in the current dispute and \u201cit is wrong.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
They were \u201cfailing to be prophetic,\u201d\u009d and had lost the public\u2019s trust, Dr Gitari said.<\/p>\n
Following a meeting in Limeru last week, the NCCK\u2019s executive council released a statement acknowledging that \u201cChurch leaders have displayed partisan values in situations that called for national interest. The church has remained disunited and its voice swallowed in the cacophony of vested interests.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s Christian leaders called for a fresh start. \u201cAll have failed, including the church leaders.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
In a statement published on the NCCK\u2019s website, church leaders called for the arrest of those involved in inciting violence as well as the disciplining of police officers who had used excessive force in responding to
\nthe unrest.<\/p>\n
They also called for the strengthening of the judiciary, Parliament and the Electoral Commission, and a ban on political parties that pandered to tribal interests and sectarian passions.<\/p>\n
–This article appears in this week’s edition of the Church of England Newspaper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Anglican Church has failed the people of Kenya by not speaking with a \u201cprophetic voice\u201d\u009d in the wake of the disputed Dec 27 elections, the former Archbishop of Kenya has declared. \u201cWe did not need Tutu to come all…<\/span><\/p>\n