“Push forward, not back,” Bishop Pante says.

Refugees from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Somalia, Ethopia, Eritria, Sudan and South Sudan living in Kenya, on 22 June, 2015, came together to mark World Refugee Day. The Refugees representing the nine countries converged at St. John the Baptist Riruta Parish in Nairobi for spiritual nourishment and to make known to the world, their plight and quest for recognition and acceptance.

 The refugees actively participated during Holy Mass and also delighted the congregation with songs and dance, calling on the global community to uphold the dignity and humanity of refugees.
 
In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration to mark the day, the Bishop of Maralal who is also the Vice-Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Sea Farers, Bishop Virgilio Pante, called on the faithful to pray for peace and justice to prevail in the world so as to curb the number of people displaced from their homes.
 
“Every 15 minutes, a person is displaced in the World,” said Bishop Pante.
 
The bishop urged the refugees in Kenya not to lose hope despite the challenges they may be encountering and at the same time called on Kenyans to shun tribalism and racism and support refugees by allowing them to access schools and jobs to make them feel more at home in the country.
 
Bishop Pante consoled the refugees, urging them put their faith in God. “God is in control. Have strong faith and believe in Him. Remember even Jesus Christ sought refuge in Africa,” said Bishop Pante.
 
Referring to the global theme for Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) “Push forward, not back,” Bishop Pante appealed to the Government to allow refugees from Somalia to repatriate voluntarily and not force them back to their country. He also urged the Government to consider re-settling all the internally displaced persons in the country.  
 
The event, organised by KCCB- Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Sea Farers and JRS, was also attended by the KCCB General Secretary, Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Kimutai Rono, who appealed to Kenyans to show solidarity with the refugees and to take care of them, praying for peace and harmony to prevail in the world and especially in the Eastern African Countries.
 
According to the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) annual Global Trends report, Kenya is currently hosting more than 600,000 refugees. The total number of refugees in the world currently stands at 50 million, with Kenya at number four worldwide behind Pakistan, Iran and Germany, in hosting the highest number of refugees.
 

(By Rose Achiego, Waumini communications, Kenya)

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