A disagreement between Catholic bishops in Kenya and the government has taken a new twist, with the Church rejecting a $61,000 donation from President William Ruto. Source: Catholic Review.
Mr Ruto made the donation on November 17, at a Sunday Mass in a parish church in Kayole-Soweto, an informal settlement in the capital, Nairobi.
Mr Ruto had given the church $30,000 in cash, promising the rest – and a parish bus – later.
But on November 18, Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo of Nairobi said the money will be refunded, since the donation had violated Church directives and the country’s law on fundraising, which required a permit.
The archbishop cited the bishops’ firm stance on financial donation to churches by politicians, over ethical concerns and the “need to safeguard the Church from being used for political purposes.”
The archbishop added that the Church strongly discourages the use of Church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as “platforms for political self-promotion.”
The Church “is called to uphold integrity by refusing contributions that may inadvertently compromise its independence or facilitate unjust enrichment,” Archbishop Anyolo said.
Church data indicates that there are 18 million baptised Catholics in Kenya, or 40 per cent of the country’s population.
On November 14, the Kenyan bishops’ conference issued a hard-hitting statement in which it accused the government of thriving on a “culture of lies,” with a “selfish agenda” forcing young people to fight “the monster of corruption” and misplacing priorities and disregarding the human rights of the ordinary people.
The government did not take the criticisms by the bishops kindly and quickly released a series of statements accusing the bishops of “misleading” the public.
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Kenyan Catholic Church rejects President Ruto’s financial donation (By Frederick Nzwili, OSV News via Catholic Review)
