Rt. Rev. Joseph Ndembu Mbatia, Bishop of Nyahururu Diocese in Kenya has commended the Good Shepherd, a Journal of Pastoral Theology
launched on Friday 8th April by the Department of Pastoral Theology of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA).
Bishop Mbatia who with his counterpart, Rt. Rev. Rodrigo Mejía Saldarriaga, SJ, Bishop Emeritus of Vicariate Apostolic of Soddo led the launching ceremony said that the Journal will be a very important tool in the evangelization strategy, because it will contain major topics of great concern which has been researched, analyzed and found to be helpful in the caring of souls, hence bringing a spiritual change, which is the main object of pastoral ministry.
Speaking at the colorful event which was held at CUEA’s main campus in Langata Nairobi, Mbatia explained that the main aim of evangelization is to convert, to transform people lives for the Kingdom of God; the Kingdom of justice, love and peace.
“The pastoral Ministry which in other words is regarded as the Ministry of Salvation has no other aim than the care and cure for souls. This does not exclude individual and collective advancement, in the light of the Gospel, of the human person,” he said adding that the introduction of the Small Christian Communities in the AMECEA Region was aimed at this important role as captured in the book Small Christian Communities by Joseph G. Healey and Jeanne Hinton, which says that “The Church to be at the grassroots, to respond to various challenges that the human person encounter in life, plant and deepen the Christian faith.”
Bishop Mbatia however, noted that in the present times AMECEA Region faces quite a number of challenges, which include political instabilities in some countries which in some cases have resulted to massive loss of innocent lives. “Those who suffer most are the women and children. Violent acts like sexual abuses to women and children are very rampant in the war torn areas in the AMECEA Region.”
Other things the Bishop mentioned include poverty regardless of the fact that the region is endowed with quite a number of natural resources, diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tribalism whereby attaining the highest position in leadership as a tribe is key to peace; unequal Distribution of resources and negative cultural/traditions practices such as cattle rustling.
He said these challenges are affecting the Church in a big way and not only worries the Pastoral Theologians but has also given sleepless nights to systematic Theologians.
He said that understanding the faith is key to live true to the Gospel teaching because Islamic Religion which does not tolerate the presence of any other religion is slowly penetrating to the interior of the Region and slowly by slowly gaining followers. “When the Catholic Christians are not fully informed on the truth of their faith, they fall victim of other religious faiths,” he said.
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News