By Wairimu Ruth
NAIROBI, JANUARY 26, 2021 (CISA) –The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission-Kenya (CJPC) of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has called for nation rebuilding through inclusive and accountable governance.
“Rebuilding our nation is a duty and responsibility of every Kenyan. There are two sides to this. On one hand, as new opportunities are brought about by advancement in knowledge and technology, we are bound to adapt to new ways of living. On the other hand, the advancement brings with it new challenges that we also have to confront of particular importance for this year’s(2021) Lenten Campaign is the theme of inclusive and accountable governance,” CJPC said in a message posted January 20 on their official Facebook page.
Speaking to CISA on January 26, the CJPC Lenten Campaign Program officer, Grainne Kidakwa, said that CJPC expects and hope that 2021 Lenten campaigns will yield better compared to that of 2020 that was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The 2020 Lenten campaigns were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic that struck two weeks into the campaigns. This highly affected the contributions aimed at funding planned projects. The contribution which was way less compared to the usual was used to give back to the community since the pandemic led to loss of jobs which posed a challenge in access of food and resources in many communities,” she said.
She noted that CJPC is using various platforms to reach Kenyans countrywide with the message of Lent.
“We are using all means possible such as the social media platforms to reach to Kenyans informing them about the Lenten Campaigns and encouraging them to support in terms of contributions and accomplishment of the theme. We also urge the Church to continue supporting and passing the message about the Lenten Campaigns,”
CJPC propose to reflect on the theme from the lens of moral formation recognizing that without depth in moral formation, it is difficult to achieve inclusive and accountable governance.
“Moral formation is the foundation for the journey to holiness that all Christians and other people of good-will are invited into through the sacraments, reaching out to our neighbors and being responsible stewards of God’s gift to us.
The 2021 Lenten campaign themed, “Come let us rebuild our nation (Nehemiah 2:17-18),” will be launched in Malindi on February 13.
