Kenyan president pledges to work with church against corruption, AIDS

Published: 2003-11-21

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said his government would work with churches to fight corruption and AIDS and to help reconcile Kenyans. In an apparent reference to the policy of former President Daniel arap Moi, who repeatedly accused churches of meddling in politics, Kibaki said any walls that had been erected in the past between the state and church would be removed. "We recognize that you have the duty of helping us to stay in the straight and narrow path, however difficult that may be," he said Nov. 19 during the official opening of the new headquarters of the National Council of Churches of Kenya. The Catholic Church in Kenya is an observer to the council, which is a member of the World Council of Churches. Kibaki, Kenya's first Catholic president, said his government welcomed constructive criticism and corrective advice, reported Kenya's independent newspaper, the Daily Nation. Kibaki called on churches and the state to develop an understanding on how they could work together, the newspaper reported.

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