Anglicans should accept extended Catholic hand, ask for Muge canonization

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Elias Nyatete

Following the recent acceptance for married Anglican priests to join the Catholic Church to administer in the same capacity, Anglican prelates in Kenya should indulge the Pope to accept canonisation for the late Anglican Bishop Alexander Muge.

Pope Benedict XVI has signalled that there is more commonality between these two denominations than there are differences. If there exist differences, they would be about richness in spiritual and theological diversity than a distinction of who Christians are.

Not only was Muge a contemporary of the late Maurice Cardinal Otunga whose canonisation has been contemplated by the Vatican, but he also stands out as one of the most vocal church leaders to have condemned oppression, injustice and corruption.

Those who lived to see and listen to Muge may remember that he courageously and took on the then Kanu regime, at a time when no one dared "rattle the snake," as we are wont to say today.

In his time, it was treacherous to criticise for various social, economic and political ills that only served to enrich a select few. Given the low level of literacy in addition to the ideological intoxication of the masses, tribal and regional sentimentalism became a hallmark of the Kanu era.

He even faced threats to his own life but refused to retreat to the safety of silence and would not accept to be manipulated.

Canonisation, for starters, is not a process and recognition of supernatural human beings called saints.

Unacceptable to critics

It is, in simple terms, a church mechanism through which a person who has lived to inspire and sanctify others is acknowledged (by the Church).

Any person given special recognition by the Catholic Church, for example as blessed, martyr, doctor of the Church or saint is believed to have been a witness of the teachings of Jesus Christ as conveyed by scripture and Church tradition. Such persons are those that lived like any one of us, frail and were may have been miserable at times, happy, joyous, fearful and courageous but they always remained inspired and faithful to Christ’s teachings.

In the words of Mother Teresa, a saint is anyone who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way in following Christ. The Jesuits have served the church for years especially through intellectual and theological works and define themselves as "sinners yet called" a further admission that following Christ is not a preserve of holy and special humans.

Bishop Muge may have been a failure in many respects or even unacceptable to his critics but what characterised him was the spiritual legacy he left us: an inspiration to fight injustice for the common good at whatever cost.

The Anglicans should strengthen the ecumenical bond that has preserved their relationship with the Catholics by asking Pope Benedict XIV to start a process to canonise Bishop Muge who had no religion when it came to serving Kenyans.

We can only appreciate Bishop Alexander Muge by giving him a special place in our minds and hearts, not just as Christians, but as a people struggling to find role models amongst us.