NAIROBI OCTOBER 9, 2015(CISA) – Hundreds of youth from the Archdiocese of Nairobi gathered today at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) for an interfaith forum meant to encourage national cohesion, inter religious tolerance and care of environment.
Various religious leaders and other organizational heads dealing directly with the youth in Kenya addressed the forum.
Speaking during the event, Fr Charles Odira, KCCB National Executive Secretary Commission for the Pastoral and Lay apostolate urged the youth to ensure that they encourage environmental conservation in order to promote peace.
“If your environment is interfered with certainly you cannot be peaceful if it is well maintained and cared for and all the natural resources widely shared then life would be very easy. This is why we need the youth in handling this problem,” said Fr Odira.
He urged the youth and delegates during the meeting to put what they learnt during the conference into practice.
“Begin with yourself no one is going to make a difference other than me and you. Do not wait for the President and the United Nations to change the world,” advised Fr Odira.
Vice Chairman of Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Sheikh Abdalla Kamwana said that the organization was committed to continue to “use our Islamic approaches to contribute to environmental conservation.”
“The Islamic laws prohibit the consumption of some primates and animals and this therefore prevents Muslims from hunting these animals in the world hence offering a high degree of conservation,” said Sheikh Kamwana in his speech during the conference.
The meeting was organized by the office of Justice and Peace and Integrity of creations (JPIC), Franciscans Africa (JPICFA) in collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice and Ethics of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CSJE-CUEA), Mother Earth Network (M-E-Net), Kenya Interfaith Network on Action for Environment (KINAE), United Religions Initiative (URI) and Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP).
The two-day forum ended on Saturday October 10 with the youth taught how to promote religious tolerance among them.
