How Visa Holders who “don’t return” Home have Ruined Chances for African Youths Seeking to Attend Jubilee in Rome

Nairobi, 26 July, 2025 / 10:33 PM

Failure to return home at the expiry of travel documents abroad is what has locked may young Africans from being granted visas to travel to Rome for the upcoming Jubilee of Youth, the Archbishop of Kenya’s Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa has said.

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the official launch of the book “For a Synodal Church – Final Document Made Simple” at the Paulines Communication Center in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN), Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde noted that the lack of transparency surrounding individuals cleared to attend church events abroad has also been a concern for the Church in Kenya.

He said that the tendency for some Africans to disappear into thin air when they travel abroad “has also caused many difficulties in our country, where we approve certain numbers, and often, some of them don't return.”

The Kenyan-born Archbishop was the guest of honor at the Wednesday, July 23 launch of the simplified version of the final document of the XVI Ordinary Assembly of the of the Synod of Bishops.

He observed that due to lack of transparency some youths even “discard their passports, claiming they are lost.”

The Kenyan Church leader observed that some embassies believe the young people, particularly those that are unmarried and have nothing to lose back home.

“Once they get there, they simply disappear,” Archbishop Kivuva said, and added, “the embassies are slow to issue visas to singles because they believe they have nothing to lose.”

The Local Ordinary of Mombasa Metropolitan See, who began his episcopal ministry in the Catholic Diocese of Machakos in June 2003, acknowledged that there are “genuine” individuals who travel and return without misusing their travel documents.

In the July 23 interview with ACI Africa, on the sidelines of the launch of the simplified version of the Synod on Synodality’s final document that the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) has authored, Archbishop Kivuva also cited financial challenges as another reason why some youth are unable to attend the event.

“You can imagine the pressure these people face,” he said, referring to situations where families struggle to choose which child to support or which needs to prioritize.

The 73-year-old Kenyan-born Catholic Church leader encouraged young people who will miss the event, set to begin on July 28 as part of the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, not to be discouraged.

He emphasized the significance of visiting the Holy Doors of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, which the Holy Father permitted to be opened in Dioceses, noting that this also offers a meaningful way for those unable to travel to still participate spiritually alongside their peers attending the weeklong celebration, which concludes on August 3 in Rome, Italy.

Some 200 young people from Tanzania are set to attend the event, in what has been described as “a huge number” from the African continent where many other youths have been locked out due to failed visa applications.

An official responsible for the youth at the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) described to ACI Africa the mood among those set to travel to Rome, saying, “Everyone is extremely excited.”

Fr. Liston Lukoo said, “This is the first time many of these young are going outside the country. And as you can imagine, going to Vatican is another story for them. Their biggest excitement, however, is going to shake the hand of the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV.”

Several key activities for the youth jubilee have been confirmed with the official welcome Holy Mass scheduled for Tuesday, July 29, at 6:00 p.m. (local time) in St. Peter’s Square.

Throughout the week numerous spiritual, artistic and cultural activities have been lined up in Rome under the title “Dialogues with the City” with August 1 as a Penitential Day, to be held in the Circus Maximus. The Holy Father is expected to preside over the concluding Eucharistic Celebration and bid farewell to the young pilgrims on Sunday, August 3.