Pope's special message to Kenyans

dennis kibet

October 23, 2017 8:45 AM

The Pope during a special mass sent a message to Kenyans ahead of Thursday's poll.

Pope Francis has sent out a special message to Kenyans ahead of the repeat presidential elections slated for Thursday, October 26.

The Pope while praying for world on Sunday, asked all the faithful to join him in prayer for that specific intention, and in particular for Kenya, where tensions are high in the wake of a contested and inconclusive presidential election.

Read: Raila announces new anti-IEBC demo dates

“I ask you to join my prayer for peace in the world,” Pope Francis said to pilgrims and tourists gathered for the Sunday Angelus prayer. “I am paying close attention in these days to Kenya, which I visited in 2015, and for which I pray, that the whole country might be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, having at heart the search for the common good.”

Pope Francis took the opportunity to call for constructive dialogue in the country between the leading political players in the country and said that he was following the situation with ‘close attention’.

“I am paying close attention in these days to Kenya, which I visited in 2015,” Francis told pilgrims and tourists gathered for the Angelus prayer.

The Pope said he was praying “that the whole country might be able to face the current difficulties in a climate of constructive dialogue, having at heart the search for the common good”.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has maintained that the Thursday's polls will go on as scheduled and has urged his supporters to turn out in large numbers to grant him another five-year term in office.

However NASA leader Raila Odinga insists there would be no repeat elections accusing the IEBC of seeking to conduct an illegitimate poll marred with irregularities skewed in favour of the Jubilee Party.

dennis kibet