Catholic Bishops in Eastern Africa Encouraged to Embrace Diversity as An Enriching Opportunity

Catholic Bishops in Eastern Africa Encouraged to Embrace Diversity as An Enriching Opportunity

AMECEA Online News || By Sr. Antoinette Jecinter Okoth, FSSA || 19 July 2018

AMECEA Bishops have been urged to bank on the diversity of their members within the region and beyond as an opportunity of enriching the world with goodness so as to manifest the divine greatness of God.

Speaking during a presentation (at the ongoing Plenary Assembly of AMECEA) on 18^th July, 2018, the Vice Chancellor designate of Tangaza University College, Kenya Rev. Fr. Stephen Mbugua Ngari … emphasized that diversity was God’s creation and should be utilized positively to enrich the world with goodness so as to manifest the divine greatness of God.

He further explained that most AMECEA countries have been negatively affected and diversity has been used to divide and discriminate people in terms of race, gender, politics and even tribes.  

In an interview with AMECEA Online News, Fr. Mbugua urged the Bishops to aspire changing the world view from micro to macro diversity where people see themselves as citizens of the world and as brothers and sisters. 

He said that the Church must always look into the root causes of the negative diversity that destroy the society and come up with better resolutions.

“I would like the Catholic Church in AMECEA countries to constitute commissions that will identify the root causes of negative diversity, be it economic, political or social to help improve the integration of the people in the AMECEA region and beyond,” Fr. Mbugua said adding, “The curriculum in schools should include issues of universal citizenship, and AMECEA should also create avenues where people appreciate and integrate others.” 

He said that diversity was created by God himself and that creation itself is diverse not only among human beings but among plants and animals too. “The whole creation is diverse,” he said.

Fr Mbugua said that diversity has affected the AMECEA region both negatively and positively, explaining, “Positively that we are one family who proclaims the word of God and it also gives us the identity as Catholics as a universal Church. Negatively, when diversity causes conflicts which lead to destruction and loss of innocent lives.”

Fr Mbugua wanted the Catholic Church in AMECEA to address the root causes of conflict in the region in order to solve the problem of the negative diversity.

Source: AMECEA Online News…