This Christmas, Three Kenyan Catholic Prelates Call for Christ’s Light to Heal Families, Protect Life and Build Peace

Archbishop Muheria’s words place hope not in abstract optimism but in the concrete presence of Christ amid illness, broken plans, and strained relationships.

The Kenyan Catholic Archbishop extends this hope to families struggling with discord, saying that “still there is hope,” and urging them to pray that “the newborn child can bring peace back, back to your home, can bring peace and understanding and solutions to the distresses that you face.”

This emphasis on peace within the family and society anchored his broader appeal to confront what he called “the darkness of our society,” naming corruption, anger, insults, and harassment as realities Christ’s light must dispel.

That light, Archbishop Muheria insisted, must become visible in acts of solidarity, especially toward the poor.

The Kenyan member of Opus Dei who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 2004 as the Bishop of Kenya’s Embu Catholic Diocese invited believers “to extend that fraternal and loving gesture to our brothers and sisters, the poor, the street people, the people in the slums,” so that “they may experience Christ visiting them through you and I.”

“Christmas must be Christ-present. Christmas is about Jesus Christ,” he has emphasized.

Bishop Odiwa’s 2025 Christmas message echoes this concern for life and responsibility, grounding hope in practical care for oneself and others.

As he sent greetings to the people of God under his pastoral care “and all the people of Goodwill,” the Local Ordinary of Homa Bay urged them to “value the gift of life, observe safety measures, and journey with mindfulness, gratitude, and respect for one another.”

Bishop Michael Odiwa of Kenya's Homabay Diocese. Credit: Courtesy Photo

His recorded message frames Christmas as a moment that must safeguard life, particularly during a season of travel and celebration.

Looking ahead, Bishop Odiwa connects the Nativity to perseverance and service, praying that 2026 would be “a time of renewed strength, good health, and abundant grace,” and asking that the Lord “grant us the courage to serve faithfully according to our vocation.”

In doing so, the Catholic Bishop since his Episcopal Consecration in February 2021 joined Archbishop Muheria in presenting Christmas hope as something that carries believers forward into daily responsibility.

Bishop Wallace, addressing the nation with particular attention to the Kenya Defence Forces, articulates the same core vision in the language of peace and compassion.

Christmas, he says in the recorded video, is “a profound moment when God communicates his love to humanity, inviting us to embrace peace, joy and compassion to others.”

Bishop Wallace who started his Episcopal Ministry in April 2024 as one of the three Auxiliary Bishops of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN) is praying that Christ’s birth inspires believers “to care for one another and be bearers of God's love in our families and communities together with the society.”

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Bishop Wallace Ng’ang’a Gachihi of Kenya’s Military Ordinariate preaching during the final profession, as well as different Jubilee celebrations of members of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi (ASN) on Friday, August 15. Credit: ACI Africa

Like Bishop Odiwa, Bishop Wallace highlights safety and mindfulness, especially for travellers, urging all “to observe safety while travelling, to cherish time with the loved ones and to practise mindfulness and responsibility in whatever that we do.”

Anchoring his message in Scripture, Kenya’s Military Local Ordinary since his installation in October 2024 recalls the prophecy of Isaiah: “For unto us a child is born… and his name shall be called… the Prince of Peace,” and concludes with a prayer that “the light of Christ guide us into the new year with hope, unity and love.”

Together, the three Kenyan Catholic Church leaders present Christmas 2025 as a call to let Christ’s light take flesh in society – healing pain, protecting life, nurturing peace, and turning hope into compassionate action.