THE CHURCH IN KENYA LAUNCHES 'HUMANAE VITAE' AHEAD OF GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION

By Rose Achiego

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through National Family Life Office publicly launched Humanae Vitae (Of human life) during the Walk for Life to create awareness on the sanctity of human life a head of Golden Jubilee of the Papal Encyclical written by Blessed Pope Paul VI in 1968.

The encyclical Humanae Vitae whose 50^th anniversary will be celebrated on 25^th, July, 2018, provides beautiful and clear teaching about God’s plan for the married, love and the transmission of life which is emphasized through the teaching of Pope Paul VI on human sexuality, marriage, conjugal love and responsible parenthood.

Flagging off the Walk for Life on 24^th, March, 2018, on behalf of the KCCB-National Family Life Chairman Rt. Rev. Salesius Mugambi, Pontifical Missionary Society (PMS) Agriculture Project Regional Director Rev. Fr. Celestino Bundi appealed to the government to protect life and rights of children.

“We have recently received disturbing information of children being trafficked, child labour, sexual abuse, early pregnancies and even murder, we therefore call on the government to protect life for without the children the future is bleak,” Fr. Bundi said.

He also encouraged parents to receive children with gratitude and nature them with love as they are gifts from God. “It is important to remember that good formation of children shall give us a country free from decayed morals like corruption, negative ethnicity and many others that impact the nation negatively,” he said.

Fr. Bundi stressed that the celebrated Walk for Life represents an important opportunity for reflection on human life with special regard to responsible procreation adding that, the Catholic Church emphasizes on the need to support and embrace the family as the first place of nurturing and safeguarding faith through acceptable methods that lead them to grow in holiness.

“May it come true that families will be free from the use of contraceptives that create opportunities of temptation into unfaithfulness? Let us practice and avoid embracing practices that erode human values and deprive us of human dignity,” explaining that, “For the methods of Natural family life to succeed, there is great need of creating awareness for responsible parenthood, stewardship, Christian living and prayerful life.”

Speaking during the same occasion, KCCB Deputy General Secretary Rev. Fr. Lucas Ong’esa talked about the beauty of sexuality warning that it should not be misused but to be treasured for procreation which is bringing forth life as God intended it to be.

“Sexual activity means so much that it is wrong to diminish its message or deny its full reality: it belongs in the context of committed love (sealed by marriage) and openness to life precisely because this is the only context great enough to hold its message and reflect the greater reality to which the gift of sexuality points us and to which it commits us,” Fr. Ong’esa said.

Fr. Ong’esa called on all who are committed to safeguarding and protecting life to be more proactive in spreading the message far and wide. “Our Bishops for Life, Priests for Life, Religious Men and Women for Life, our Families for Life, our Youths for Life and our Children for Life should be more committed to Love, Protect, Promote, Nurture and Respect Life. It is our daily prayer that this effort will lead many believers to understand, embrace, and proclaim the beautiful truth of human life,” he said.

The Walk for life under the theme Family Centre of Love and Transmission of Life that was organized by KCCB, Kenya Christian Professional Forum (KCPF), National Council of Churches and Evangelical Alliance of Kenya attracted hundreds of participants being school children, the youth, Christians at large, church leaders and national and international representatives from different pro-life groups.