BENEDICT XVI's LEGACY IN KENYA

By Fr. Casmir Odundo

Benedict XVI and Card. Njue 

Unlike his immediate predecessor and his immediate successor, Pope Benedict XVI did not get the opportunity to visit Kenya during his Pontificate. We know that St. John Paul II, “The Pilgrim Pope'' the predecessor of Pope Benedict XVI, made 104 foreign trips in his long pontificate that included three visits to Kenya, in May 1980, August 1985 and in September 1995. Pope Francis, the successor of Pope Benedict XVI made Kenya the first African country he visited in November 2015. 

However, as a cardinal and head of the then Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (future Benedict XVI)  was part of the delegation that accompanied Pope John Paul II to Nairobi, Kenya during the promulgation of the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa in September 1995. Again, while he did not make a pastoral visit to Kenya during his Pontificate,  Pope Benedict XVI made two Apostolic trips to Africa, visiting Cameroon, Angola in 2009 and Benin in 2011.

The Second African Synod 

Pope Benedict XVI made several pastoral and administrative decisions that changed the life of the Kenyan Church. According to me, the most important of these  is his decision to call for a special Synod of Bishops for Africa, the second African Synod in 2009 and later published the exhortation Africae Munus that focussed on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation.

The following were the Kenyan participants to this special synod: Cardinal John Njue, then Archbishop of Nairobi and then President of the Kenya Episopal Conference, whom Pope Benedict XVI appointed as the head of the Commission for Information during the synod process.  Other Kenyan participants were  Archbishop Peter Kairo, then Archbishop of Nyeri; Archbishop Zaccheaus Okoth, then Archbishop of Kisumu; the Late Archbishop Boniface Lele,  then Archbishop of Mombasa; Bishop Philip Sulumeti, then Bishop of Kakamega and Archbishop Martin Musonde Kivuva, then Bishop of Machakos. Among the lay participants was Mrs. Florence Oloo, then Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Strathmore University Nairobi. Fr. Speratus Kamanzi of the Apostles of Jesus participated as an auditor while Fr. Kimani Pascquale Njuguna served in the general secretariat. The Orthodox Archbishop of Nairobi, Makarios was also listed as a fraternal delegate. 

Ecclesiastical Appointments 

In the Catholic Church, the Pope freely appoints Bishops. Pope Benedict XVI made several ecclesiastical appointments in relation to the dioceses in Kenya.

Benedict XVI and Bishop Locati

Following the shooting of Bishop Luigi Locati of the Vicariate of Isiolo on 14th July 2005, Pope Benedict XVI in a telegram sent by Cardinal Sodano, his then Secretary of State,  said that “he was deeply saddened by the murder of the Italian missionary” and expressed hope that the bishop’s death would hasten the dawn of peace and reconciliation in Kenya. On 26th January 2006 he appointed bishop Antony Ireri Mukobo IMC then Auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi as the new  Vicar Apostolic of Isiolo.  

On 26th November 2006 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Ambrose Ravasi IMC and on the same day appointed Bishop Peter Kihara, another Consolata Missionary and previously Bishop of Murang’a  to the diocese of Marsabit. 

On 6th October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a Nzeki as Archbishop of Nairobi upon attaining the 75 age of retirement and in his place on the same day, he  appointed the then Coadjutor Archbishop of Nyeri, Archbishop John Njue as the new Archbishop of Nairobi. Archbishop Njue was installed on the feast of All Saints on 1st November 2007.  On the 24th November 2007, Pope Benedict XVI announced the elevation of Archbishop Njue to Cardinal. Benedict XVI created him Cardinal on the consistory of 24th November 2007, and assigned to him the titular church of the Precious Blood of Our Lord in Rome. This was momentous as Cardinal Njue became the second Kenyan to hold the rank of Cardinal, after Cardinal Otunga. Pope Benedict XVI has previously appointed Archbishop Njue as Apostolic Administrator of the Vicariate of Isiolo and the diocese of Muranga. In June 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named Cardinal Njue as a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 

On 19th of May 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Peter Kairo, then bishop of Nakuru as the new Archbishop of Nyeri. The cathedra of the Archdiocese of Nyeri had fallen vacant following the death of Archbishop Nicodemus Kirima on 27th November 2007 and the transfer of its Coadjutor Archbishop John Njue to Nairobi on 6th October 2007. 

On 29th June 2008 Pope Benedict XVI transferred Bishop Antony Muheria from the diocese of Embu to the diocese of Kitui while retaining him as Apostolic Administrator in Embu, till on 9th May 2009 when he appointed Fr. Paul Kariuki Njiru, formerly a Vice Rector of Christ the King Major Seminary, and acting Rector of the same institution as the Bishop of Embu. Fr. Kariuki was ordained bishop in Embu on 25th July 2009. 

On 4th April 2009, Pope Benedict appointed Fr. James Maria Wainaina Kungu, then Rector of Christ the King Major seminary in Nyeri as the new bishop of Murang’a. He was ordained on 27th June 2009. 

On 1st August 2009, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Cornelius Schilder MHM as Bishop of Ngong. In his place he appointed Fr. John Oballa Owaa as the new Bishop of Ngong’ on 7th January 2012 . Fr. Oballa had formerly served as the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Kisumu and was then the immediate former rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Senior Seminary. 

On 19th December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Maurice Muhatia Makumba, then Rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Senior Seminary, Nairobi as the new Bishop of Nakuru. Fr. Makumba a priest of the diocese of Kakamega, was then 41 years old, becoming by then the youngest member of the Kenyan Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was ordained a bishop on 27th February 2010 at Nakuru ASK Grounds. 

On 20th May 2010, Pope Benedict appointed bishop Dominic Kimengich, then head of the National Canon Law Office in the Kenya Catholic Secretariat as an auxiliary bishop of Lodwar and titular bishop of Tnanaramusa. Bishop Dominic was ordained Bishop 22nd May 2010 at Lodwar. On 5th March 2011 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Patrick Harrington SMA as Bishop of Lodwar and appointed Bishop Dominic Kimengich, then auxiliary bishop of Lodwar to take over from him. Bishop Dominic Kimengich became the first African “native”  bishop of Lodwar. 

On 24th December 2011 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Luigi Paiaro as Bishop of Nyahururu, Kenya. Bishop Paiaro, who came to Kenya as a fidei donum priest from the diocese of  Padova (Padua) in Italy had served the diocese of Nyahururu, as its first bishop since its erection from the diocese of Nyeri in December 2002. On 24th December 2011 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Joseph Ndembu Mbatia, then Vicar General of Nyahururu as the successor of Bishop Paiaro. 

On 29th June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Joseph Alessandro OFM Cap. as the Coadjutor Bishop of Garissa, Kenya. Fr. Alessandro was ordained bishop of 29th September 2012.  

Pope Benedict XVI also made changes to the Nunciature in Kenya. He transferred the Late French Archbishop, Alain Paul Lebeaupin from Nairobi to be his representative in the European Union and replaced him with the American and renowned Canon Lawyer Archbishop Charles Balvo on 17th January 2013. 

2007 Post Election Violence in Kenya 

Following the political, economic and humanitarian crisis that erupted in Kenya following the disputed presidential elections in Kenya that left over 1,000 Kenyans dead (including a Catholic priest) and hundreds of thousand others displaced, Pope Benedict XVI called the violence in Kenya  “a great tragedy”  and appealed to the immediate end of violence and conflict and urged politicians “to resolve to their conflicts through dialogue that is based on justice and peace. ” he wrote this in a letter sent to Cardinal Njue, the then Chairman of the Kenya Episcopal Conference. He expressed his closeness and solidarity with the victims, the Church and the people of Kenya.  He repeated the same sentiments two years later when he addressed H.E Mr. Elkanah Odembo, the then  new Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the Holy See. 

Ad Limina Apostolorum

Pope Benedict XVI received  Kenyan Catholic Bishops for their Ad Limina Apostolorum visit on 19th of November 2007. In his Address to the Bishops, Benedict XVI urged kenyan bishops to be builders of unity in the dioceses, to be close to the priests, whom he said must be encouraged to drink from the wells of Sacred Scripture and from the daily and reverent celebration of the Holy Eucharist.  He also talked about the beauty of marriage and family life in Kenya despite the many evils and dangers which afflict society and urged the bishops to promote life, discourage and preach against abortion. He encouraged the bishops to continue with the incentives in education and ecumenism. 

Pope Benedict Honoured

Pope Benedict XVI’s memory is engraved deeply in the heart of many Kenyans. Indeed, as a Cardinal and later as Pope, Benedict XVI had many personal Kenyan friends he made during his time in Rome. 

Two major institutions are named after him: 

Pope Benedict XVI Minor Seminary in Kisii established in Masongo,
Kisii county by Bishop Joseph Mairura. Its construction began in 2007. The aim was to have a minor seminary specifically for Kisii diocese as St. John’s Rakwaro seminary had remained for Homabay diocese following the creation of Homabay diocese from Kisii in 2006.  It was erected to promote and nurture young vocations in Kisii to the priesthood. By 2019, it was ranked as the best performing school in Kisii and among the top in the country. 

Pope Benedict XVI Health Centre  in Nyahururu,  started on 23rd February 2007 is a very modern hospital with over 100 bed capacity  located in Mamboleo Centre Nyahururu, in Nyahururu diocese. It was established by Bishop Luigi Paiaro to cater for the medical needs of his faithful. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was at the forefront in the fight against Covid-19 in the region.  

REMEMBERING POPE BENEDICT XVI 

Kenyan Catholics joined the rest of the faithful in praying for the repose of the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI following his death on 31st December 2022. Bishop Willybard Lagho of the diocese of Malindi recalled how as a priest, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him a consultant for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on 30th October 2007 and he served for a full term of five years. Archbishop Antony Muheria of the Archdiocese of Nyeri noted, “I had a number of occasions as a bishop to interact and meet with Pope Benedict. He was most pleasant, humble and simple. His approach was always very respectful in spite of his great intellectual calibre. His great love for the Eucharist stands out among his many special contributions. I still pride myself of the Episcopal ring with a Eucharistic theme that he gave us as a gift after the Bishops synod on the Eucharist in 2005.” 

Many Kenyans will definitely follow the proceedings of his burial on Thursday 5th of January, 2023. Meanwhile, the community of Kenyans in Rome who are planning to participate in the funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica are also planning to have Mass on the 15th January to honour the late Pontiff. A requiem Mass has also been organised for the 5th of January 2023, at the Holy Family Basilica by the Archdiocese of Nairobi and the Apostolic Nunciature in Kenya. 

May his holiness rest in peace! 

The author is a priest of the diocese of Nakuru and a student at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome

Email: casmirthomas28@gmail.com