Kenya protests Vatican envoy’s ‘inflammatory’ protest sermon

Nairobi has officially protested over an “inflammatory” sermon by the Vatican envoy to Kenya on the deadly anti-government protests that rocked the country, according to a document seen by AFP Friday.

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Youth-led demonstrations in June sparked by proposed tax hikes led to rallies calling for President William Ruto to resign spreading nationwide. The unrest left some 60 people dead, said rights groups.

In the letter seen by AFP, dated August 12 and addressed to the Apostolic Nunciature in the capital Nairobi, the foreign ministry protested over Roman Catholic Archbishop Hubertus van Megen’s June 29 sermon in Nairobi.

Condemning his “undiplomatic and inflammatory” sermon, the ministry said the archbishop’s conduct was “unbecoming a distinguished member of the diplomatic corps”.

The letter added: “Without pointing out the broader context of government’s actions as a responsible diplomat, the Nuncio chose to use his exalted position to berate the government of Kenya and its institutions.”

Van Megen was speaking at the Vincentian Congregation ordination mass in the capital Nairobi, four days after police had fired live ammunition into an initially peaceful rally outside parliament.

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“Oppressors against the oppressed, heavily armed security forces against poorly protected protesters,” he told the congregation in June, according to a recording seen by AFP.

“Blood on the streets, red, dead bodies left behind, wounded in the square of Holy Family Basilica,” he added, referring to the Catholic cathedral near parliament.

“We have witnessed a revolution in Nairobi. What happens after this, politics in this country will have to change,” van Megen added.

The demonstrations rattled Ruto’s administration and left him scrambling to tackle the worst crisis of his presidency.

Rights groups have also condemned the force used against those marching, with the United States also urging Ruto’s administration to respect the right to peaceful protest.

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The embattled leader withdrew the finance bill, dismissed almost his entire cabinet and made deep budget cuts in an effort to address public anger.

However, while the physical protests have mostly abated, many remain furious with Ruto after he reappointed half of his sacked cabinet and co-opted four heavyweight opposition politicians.

Van Megen has been the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya since 2019, previously serving in Eritrea, Sudan, and Malawi.