Bishop calls out leaders on the Shakahola massacre

Murang’a, Monday May 01, 2023

KNA by Florence Kinyua

Murang’a Catholic Diocese Bishop Rt Rev James Maria Wainaina has called on the country’s top leadership to hastily take action on religious factions that have mislead the faithful through unacceptable ideologies.

Bishop Wainaina’s sentiments comes in the wake of the Shakahola infamy where Good News International Church leader Paul Mackenzie is accused of driving his followers to death by preaching that starvation was the only path to God.

Speaking at Mumbi grounds Sunday during St Joseph the worker, Mumbi Catholic parish family day, the bishop who derived his sermons from the day’s readings on the good shepherd emphasized that the country’s leadership needed to answer very critical questions at this point in time.

“In the old testament, whenever the people went astray, the kings took responsibility for their actions. A good shepherd will not lead the sheep astray; instead he lays down his life for the sheep who knows him by his voice as he also knows them by name,” he added

The bishop emphasized Jesus' love for his followers and his willingness to guide and protect them. “Likewise today we are asking, where was the President and the security agents when the Shakahola massacre was taking place? Mass extermination of people is unacceptable and is not in line with the will of God,” Wainaina added.

He wondered how such religious organizations were registered and urged the President to take action.

Further, he cautioned church leaders who are using religion to advance weird unacceptable ideologies noting that it is against the calling to be a good shepherd.

Celebrated on the fourth Sunday after Easter, the good shepherd Sunday also doubles up as the vocation Sunday.

“Pray for the vocations as each of the children of God is called to serve Him in four different ways of life; in marriage, undertaking the priestly life, the religious life in the case of brothers and sisters and even in the individual life,” he observed.

The event attracted hundreds of faithful from the Parish’s ten local churches and was held under the theme, “United in the Eucharist.”

Courtesy; K.N.A