“Secularism is killing our world”, Kenyan Archbishop laments changes in society

The Archbishop of Kenya’s Mombasa Archdiocese has said that the rise of secularism, characterized by an emphasis on the monetary value of things is a cause for concern.

In an audio recording shared with sources on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde calls for conversion.

“Secularism is killing our world because money is prioritized over everything,” Archbishop Musonde says, and adds, “Let us remember that there are things like peace which we cannot buy with money.”

The Archbishop, who will turn 72 on February 10, has expressed his disapproval of initiatives, through court petitions and related rulings , to allow the registration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer persons (LGBTQ) in Kenya, laments the changes in society, which he attributes to secularism.

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“Everyone who looks at our world today, at all levels including the political, family, and religious levels, will notice so many issues going on around us. You wonder if the world is upside down,” he says in the seven-minute audio recording shared with sources.

Archbishop Musonde, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Kenya Catholic Bishops’ Conference (KCCB) appeals for conversion through a life of communion with God in prayer.

Alluding to the start of the preparations for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, which Pope Francis announced on January 21, the second in his Pontificate after the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, the Archbishop underscored the value of prayer in the face of the challenge of secularism.

In his Angelus address from the window of Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on January 21, the Pope said that the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year is to be “a year dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in one’s personal life, in the life of the Church, and in the world.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, the coming months will lead us to the opening of the Holy Door, with which we will begin the jubilee,” the Holy Father said, and added, “I ask you to intensify your prayer to prepare us to live this event of grace well and to experience the power of God’s hope. That is why today we begin a Year of Prayer.”

In his audio recording, Archbishop Musonde calls upon the people of God to heed the Holy Father’s invitation to a life of prayer.

“As we embark on this year, the Holy Father asks us to get back on our knees, where we talk to God daily. Let us join the Holy Father as he prays every Wednesday in St. Peters Square,” the Archbishop says.

“Prayer is one of the major ways we relate with God. It’s a conversation with God, telling Him about our families, our world, and our Church issues that have become overwhelming”, the Kenyan Archbishop continues.

“The place of prayer for humanity is critical because we realize and know that there is a God who is the source of our life, and we converse with Him in moments of joy and sorrow,” he emphasizes.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Musonde has also faulted President William Ruto-led government’s disregard for court orders and warned that the practice is a recipe for anarchy in the East African nation.

“This tendency where our leader is advised by the courts and he defies can lead us into trouble,” Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde said in his February 6 audio recording.