By Father Richard A. Kieran

Reflecting upon my three-week visit to Kenya, I find it difficult to make generalizations about the Church there. The situation of the Church differs very much from one area to another, as does the life and economic development of the people.

The sociological factor which most profoundly influences the life of the country is the degree of tribalism which is still evident. There are four main ethnic groups native to Kenya, which divide down into some 50 different tribes. The two largest tribes, the Kikuyu and the Luo, are completely distinct in their language, customs and life styles. Unfortunately, there exists a good deal of animosity between these and other tribes. The motto of the administration of the late President Jomo Kenyatta was "harambee" (unity). Much has been done to unite the people of Kenya, but there is still evidence of a great deal of infighting. Some tribes resist strongly efforts to have them abandon their primitive customs and become part of a modern capitalist society, for example, the proud Masai and Samburu, who continue their nomadic life as they follow their herds across semi-desert dressed in traditional robes and carrying their spears. More "harambee" is needed to enable progress within the country and within the Church. It is unfortunate that some of the beautiful tradition and customs of the people are being lost in the process. The price of progress seems to be very great in Kenya.

"Africanization" is the "in" word. For the "musungus" (whites) this means the gradual take-over of lands and of the control of business by Africans since independence in 1963. For the Africans it means repossessing what was rightfully theirs. For the leaders of the Catholic Church, Africanization means the gradual handing over of leadership to Africans. This process is in full swing but far from complete. In recent years, the Vatican has been appointing native Bishops, so that then of the fourteen ordinaries are Kenyans. The vocation picture is encouraging, although many more native priests are needed to serve the rapidly growing Church in Kenya. In 1977, 16 percent of the priests were Kenyans.

The Church is still importing too much of western culture. The Cathedral in Nairobi is a sad example. The older missionaries tend to be satisfied with taking care of the basics of evangelization, catechesis and conferring the sacraments. However, the younger clergy are developing African liturgy and accommodating methods of evangelization and catechesis to the culture. One of the most exciting liturgies we experienced was in a tiny church (cinder-block and sheet-iron roof) on the shores of Lake Victoria. The congregation was mainly school children. There was a scattering of older people with no education. It was the most participated liturgy I have ever witnessed. Led by their catechists, the people participated actively in every part of the Liturgy, not only singing songs, but chanting the responses in their native language. There was a tremendous sense of joy and community. Some of the old "mamas" even provided an informal liturgical dance to the beat of the drums.

Part of the difficulty confronting the Church in Kenya is the lack of mature African lay leaders. As times I felt that the white missionaries were content to continue to deal with the people in a rather paternalistic way. In contrast, however, I attended a most refreshing meeting of one of the deaneries in the Diocese of Kisumu. The newly appointed Luo Bishop, Zachaeus Okoth, was challenging his priests to make the development of lay leaders a top priority. It was encouraging to learn that each parish had an active parish council, even though it might be a half-day's walk for some members to attend the occasional meetings. The Bishop was anxious that the parish councils have a real voice in setting direction for the Church in the future.

One of the challenges facing the Church is the tendency of the Africans to form separatist groups within it. This may be due partly to the failure to develop mature leadership. It may also be due to the breakdown of the traditional lifestyle in the small village communities. A separatist group within the Church can provide a needed sense of identification with a group. The clergy were concerned to give better guidance to various apostolic groups within the Church so as to counteract this separatist tendency. Some years ago in the Luo area a group broke away from the Church and established an independent church called Legio Mariae -- the leaders had originally been involved in the Legion of Mary. This group now has its own pope, bishops, and a considerable following.

The tendency to form separatist groups is not only a problem for the Catholic Church, but for all of the mainline churches in Kenya. This is well documented in a publication of the Christian Council of Kenya which traces the development of Christianity in Kenya from the arrival of Vasco de Gama in 1498 to the present day. Many different independent churches have come onto the scene in the last twenty-five years. This splintering has been promoted by the new influx of missionaries since independence, particularly the more fundamentalist groups. There are many different Pentecostal groups, some very much in evidence because of their distinctive white garb.

The African church leaders with whom I talked were hopeful people. They were intent upon finding ways to relate the Gospel better to the culture of their people. The Conference of African Catholic Bishops was meeting in Nairobi during my stay. The topic for their meeting was the family. They were searching for ways to relate the gospel values in regard to marriage and family to a culture where polygamy is practically an economic necessity.

(Continued next week)