Over 1.5m to attend pope’s Nairobi Mass
What you need to know:
- The rare mass will be held on November 26 and those who will attend will be selected from the 20,000 Catholic Church Mass centres across the country.
- Those interested in attending the Mass have been told to apply early through their parishes. Those who fail to secure clearance from their parishes will not be allowed inside Uhuru Park.
- Preparations are in high gear and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has said the city will be secure and ready to host the Pope by the time he lands in Kenya on November 25.
At least 1.5 million Catholics are expected to attend the mass by Pope Francis at Uhuru Park next month.
The rare Mass will be held on November 26 and those who will attend will be selected from the 20,000 Catholic Church Mass centres across the country.
These centres include Catholic schools, colleges, outposts and the 700 parishes.
The Catholic Church is the largest denomination in Kenya, with about 14 million devotees.
Those interested in attending the Mass have been told to apply early through their parishes. Those who fail to secure clearance from their parishes will not be allowed inside Uhuru Park.
“We would have loved each of the 14 million Catholics to attend but it is impossible,” said Mr David Omwoyo, the spokesman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Preparations are in high gear and Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has said the city will be secure and ready to host the Pope by the time he lands in Kenya on November 25.
“The best possible efforts are being taken to ensure that Nairobi is in best shape to welcome the Pope and ensure his visit is a success,” said Dr Kidero.
SLUM TOUR
As part of the preparations, a delegation of government officials and top Catholic Church leaders were set to leave the country for Rome yesterday to synchronise their preparations with the Vatican ahead of the pope’s visit.
The delegation, which also comprises top Kenyan security officials who will work with the pope’s Swiss Guard during his three-day visit, will be in Rome until Thursday for the programme that will, among other things, involve studying the Vatican’s protocol.
The pope’s security team has been in the country in the past two weeks to figure out how to secure the areas that he is scheduled to visit.
Apart from being the bishop of Rome, the headquarters of the Catholic Church, the pope is also the head of state of the Vatican City State. His visit from November 25 to 27 will, therefore, also be a state affair.
During his visit, the pope is expected to tour one of the slums in Nairobi to “highlight the plight of poverty in informal settlements and listen to the experiences of slum residents and the different church agencies undertaking projects in the slums”.
Apart from holding Mass at Uhuru Park and meeting the President, the pope will also visit the Unep headquarters in Gigiri.
He will also hold a meeting with young people from around the country and after that, meet religious leaders to discuss tolerance and strategies for co-existence.
