The Bishops of Kenya Welcome Pope Francis

Pope Francis on Wednesday urged all Kenyans to work for peace and forgiveness and to heal ethnic, religious and economic divisions, in his speech to President Uhuru Kenyatta and the country's diplomatic corps at Nairobi's State House. Also present were the country Catholic leaders. Below is a statement the Catholic Bishops of Kenya issued on the eve of the visit to Kenya.

TIME IS NIGH, THE WAIT IS OVER. THE HOUR HAS COME. LET US RECEIVE OUR POPE!

1. Dear Brothers and sisters, fellow Kenyans, the entire family of God and people of good will.

2. For the past few weeks, many of you have joined us in making preparations for the much anticipated Apostolic Voyage by Pope Francis to our beloved Country Kenya and the African Continent.

3. Today, dear Brothers and Sisters, we are pleased to announce that all the teams working towards a successful visit have confirmed that they are ready.

4. We the Catholic Bishops would like to once again reiterate our commitment as the Catholic Church to commune with persons of all religions and of all social status, rich or poor. Indeed the Holy Father’s message of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace will begin with the ecumenical meeting on the morning of 26th November at the Nunciature here in Nairobi, with leaders of Christian mainstream and evangelical churches, Muslims, Hindus and traditional religions. The message is a simple one: “We are one people, we worship one God, let us shape our destiny together as Brothers and sisters.”

5. Thereafter, the Holy Father celebrates the first mass on the African continent at the University of Nairobi. We will be joined by Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and Bishops from several African countries.

6. We invite all Kenyans to honour this day of Thursday 26th November as a national day of prayer and reflection.

7. Fellow Kenyans, we have been granted the special gift by His Holiness Pope Francis, and with so many of our brothers and sisters from neighbouring African countries joining us on our national day of prayer and reflection, we urge all Kenyans to come to Nairobi and join us on the day of Pope Francis’ FIRST Papal Mass on the continent of Africa!

8. As we prepare ourselves to journey to Nairobi, and for those of us who have already begun the journey and others already here within the city, we make a special request that we remain in the spirit of caring for one another.

9. As you travel, drive safely and mind fellow drivers and road users … Care for our environment and let us ensure we do our best to keep our city clean.

10. On behalf of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, we wish to thank the Government of Kenya led by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta who has been at the forefront in making sure all the logistics are in place and that the Holy Father will receive a befitting welcome. We also wish to specially thank the Joint National Steering Committees who have worked tirelessly, and all Kenyans who have been part of this great journey.

11. Finally, we the Catholic Bishops of Kenya, cognisant of the challenges facing our country applaud the Government efforts to tackle corruption and declare it a sin and a threat to national security. We remain committed to having a common approach to ensure one common bond united in building our nation together.

12. Finally, May God bless each and every one of you as we prepare our hearts to receive the Holy Father to our beloved Kenya. May God bless our country and give us a prosperous future.

Karibu Kenya Baba Mtakatifu, Karibu Kenya Pope Francis