Gachagua alleged that certain state forces had directed chiefs to monitor sermons by the clergy as a means of intimidation.

"I have heard that chiefs are being sent to churches to see what bishops are preaching, please chiefs that is not your work, don't be misused," he said during a church service in Kajiado North.

The Former Deputy President emphasized that the move goes against the constitution that guarantees Kenyans their freedom of speech and worship adding that religious institutions should be respected.

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Auma's tribulations started before the burial of her husband when her brothers-in-law instructed her to surrender her husband's property. The idea had been carefully crafted to leave Auma and her sons vulnerable and needing a man to take care of them.

Then came the rituals, starting with shaving her head clean and the ultimate cleansing, which was to involve "ritual sex" with a stranger and allowing herself to enter into a polygamous union.

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Rev. Edwin Githang'i Waiguru, a former Roman Catholic missionary, said marriage was a dream come true for him.

On Sunday (October 22) Waiguru married a woman and was ordained in the Catholic Charismatic Church, a splinter church, on the same day.

Before Sunday's wedding, Waiguru had lived in an African traditional marriage and had become the father of two children. Though never ordained, Waiguru made headlines for publicly celebrating his journey.

"I joined the seminary almost 20 years ago. I am also grateful that God has seen it worth to use me to bring something new to the world," Waiguru told journalists after the wedding near Nairobi.

"It is possible to serve God, have a family and a lovely wife."

Calls for change

Other former Catholic priests here hope the prelates gathered for the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican consider priestly celibacy and marriage.

The Rev. Peter Njogu (pictured), a former Catholic priest who is now a bishop of the Restored Apostolic Church in Kenya, sees the possibility of change regarding the celibacy rule.

"The pope has said there is no celibacy law that is cast in stone," said Njogu.

"They can change the celibacy rule — that mandatory celibacy for all serving clerics. We are following to hear if there is any change that can come because that is the only way to solve the problems we are having in the church."

Local bishops have opposed the former priests' efforts, calling them "traitors" and warning people against joining their churches.

"I think this matter is being handled by our teams at the synod," said an African Catholic bishop who did not wish to be named, "but I don't see how one can break the rules and at the same time demand a change."

A popular Ugandan preacher and gospel music artist, the Rev. Anthony Musaala who was suspended from the priesthood for advocating for married clergy, said "It is a long-standing issue and it will eventually be addressed."

Sources

Religion News Service

CathNews New Zealand

He issued a stark warning at the end of Bishop Cleophas Oseso Tuka's Consecration Mass.

Unless the Sudan war is halted in time, the violence and horror scenes will "spill over" to neighbouring countries, he said.

"It will spill over into South Sudan; that means we will have it at the borders of Kenya and Uganda."

At least 528 people have been killed and 4,599 injured since the war erupted on April 15.

Many more are thought to have died because critical services have been disrupted.

Van Megen acknowledged the international community's efforts to end the violence. Politicians from the warring factions are to blame, he indicated.

These factions are the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on one side and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the other. The RSF is the paramilitary force under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo,

"The International Community is working very hard to get things back into place and up to now it hasn't really worked ... the two parties involved are not really ready to listen to each other," van Megan said.

"That war in Khartoum is happening because two political leaders cannot agree with one another and the whole population has to suffer because of it.

"Politics is a question of give and take. You negotiate, you sit around the table, but if you go into your own bastions and start to throw stones at each other, sooner or later you will hit somebody on the head and then it doesn't work anymore."

He also said Kenyans should see Sudan's violence as a warning.

Kenyans are experiencing rising political tensions and "a lot of accusations," counter-accusations and "suspicion," he said.

He urged Kenyan politicians "to sit around the table and come up with solutions for the good of the country, for every Kenyan from whatever tribe or language he might speak."

Kenyan Bishops

The Kenya Catholic Bishops Conference is also concerned and are expressing their solidarity with God's people in Sudan.

"Many people are walking down from north to south to seek foreign refuge, including our Religious men and women.

"We want to remember them at this particular moment as we send our greetings of condolences and pray with them," they said. Church leaders in Kenya are praying for peace to return to Sudan.

Sudan's rival factions arrived in Saudi Arabia on May 6 for direct talks.

"Sudanese are pinning their hopes on talks in Saudi Arabia between envoys of warring factions to end bloodshed that has killed hundreds and triggered a mass exodus," Reuters reported.

The US and Saudi governments have managed to bring both sides together.

"We ...urge both parties to take into consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks toward a ceasefire and end to the conflict," they said.

Source

• Apostolic Nuncio