NYERI
, 17 September, 2020 / 8:00 PM
(ACI Africa).-
A Prelate in Kenya is urging caution amid reports of a decline in the daily recorded cases of COVID-19.
“Today, dear Christians, dear Kenyans, as we see that the COVID seems to be relenting in its battle, we must be careful that we cannot keep away our weapons and relent in our fight,” says Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nyeri in a Tuesday, September 15 video message.
Archbishop Muheria adds, “Do not reduce your insistence and your fight. Do not let up, do not loosen.”
Since August, the leadership of Kenya’s Ministry of Health has been reporting lower new cases of COVID-19 than before. However, officials of the World Health Organization have indicated that the country’s declining trend might be because widespread testing not been effected.
So far, 36,576 cases of the disease have been recorded in the East African nation including 642 deaths and 23,611 recoveries.
Drawing inspiration from Pope John Paul II who fought a number of battles and had “many difficulties including surgery and the assassination attempt,” the Kenyan Prelate notes that “to the end of his life, he (Pope John Paul II) continued fighting in spite of the body breaking and he still kept faithful.”
“The battle we are fighting with COVID is a battle we must maintain. It is like the Parkinson that John Paul II fought with and he never gave up even when it was overpowering his body,” says Archbishop Muheria.
He calls on Kenyans not to “put down the weapons of using our masks, keeping safe distance, and making sure that we do not put ourselves in danger.”
“In our Churches, in our places of gathering, in our funerals, let us keep those protocols that we have been given,” adds the Archbishop who is at the helm of Kenya’s Interfaith Council that was constituted in June to guide the resumption of public worship in the East African nation.
Places of worship in Kenya were allowed to reopen on July 7 under strict guidelines after being closed since March 22 as part of the country’s effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
In August, the Archbishop Muheria-led Interfaith Council extended time for public worship from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Members of the Council also reviewed the age limit of eligible congregants from the previously set 13-58 years to 6-65 years.
“Dear Kenyans, let us try truly to live up because that is where instead of bringing more death we can be the ones who fight this death angel who is COVID-19,” says the member of Opus Dei in his 3-minute video message.
He continues, “Pope John Paul II, a courageous Christian and Saint gives you the example of fighting courageously even when you get tired during this COVID time.”
“Don’t give up, be courageous and strong to the end. May God bless us as we continue in this last stretch of COVID-19 fight,” concludes Archbishop Muheria.
ACI Africa was officially inaugurated on August 17, 2019 as a continental Catholic news agency at the service of the Church in Africa. Headquartered in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, this media apostolate will strive to facilitate the telling of Africa’s story by providing media coverage of Catholic events on the African continent, giving visibility to the activities of the Church across Africa where statistics show significant growth in numbers and the continent gradually becoming the axis of Catholicism. This is expected to contribute to an awareness of and appreciation for the significant role of the Church in Africa and over time, the realization of a realistic image of Africa that often receives negative media framing.
Father Don Bosco Onyalla
Editor-in-Chief, ACI Africa
[email protected]
