By OSCAR OBONYO

Last Wednesday, the clergy took a bold step to the unknown. It is a move that could vindicate the Church from the ongoing mob lynching, or one that could plunge them into an unknown future.

The decision by a section of Church leaders to declare a political contest with politicians follows the Government’s reluctance to give in to their demands. They want the Kadhis’ courts expunged from the Proposed Constitution and further fear the document sanctions abortion.

The move has attracted the ire of many, who accuse the clergy of "inability to comprehend alternative views".

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka attributes part of the impasse to the slippery nature of politicians, a factor that may have poisoned efforts of the Church to strike a deal with Government. "Some have privately told us they cannot trust the political class, not especially after past dishonoured MoUs among ourselves," the VP told The Standard on Sunday.

Even as the men and women of the cloth embark on a political journey ahead of the constitutional referendum, one wonders whether they fully comprehend repercussions of their actions. The US and Nigeria examples provide valuable lessons.

It is not an open secret, for instance, that the Roman Catholic Church in the US was opposed to the election of Barack Obama as President because of his perceived liberal stand on abortion.

Nonetheless, the clergy approached the matter more soberly. They did not dissuade members from voting for the Democratic Party candidate, but instead reminded them of the Church’s unquestionable stand on abortion.

Unlike in the Kenyan case, where the clergy want the entire Proposed Constitution knocked out on account of one or two issues, Catholics in the US were warned against pursuing a one-issue course.

Writing for Catholics In Alliance, a US-based organisation that promotes increased awareness of Catholic social teaching, Fr Richard McBrien advised: "Catholic voters and their bishops are not to pursue a one-issue course in the political realm. No single issue, including abortion, ‘trumps’ all others, rendering all other issues morally and politically inconsequential."

Preferred candidate

On the flipside, closer home, Catholic priests in Nigeria camped at polling stations to entreat their congregations to vote for a certain candidate during elections for the Governor of Anambra State. The clergy’s preferred candidate, Peter Obi, eventually won.

But the campaigns were dirtier than the priests anticipated. They were called names in the local media and accused of being bribed by Obi. In more ugly instances, priests and bishops were openly harassed and their robes torn in the church.

Retired PCEA prelate, Dr Timothy Njoya, who has broken ranks with fellow clergy, warns Church leaders could face similar hostility.

In the run up to the charged 2007 General Election, so polarised was the Church that it lay bare its differences in the media. This was in the form of adverts, with central Kenya churches gravitating around PNU candidate Mwai Kibaki, and western Kenya churches in favour of ODM’s Raila Odinga.

The situation was no better in 2005, during the constitutional referendum as the clergy was torn in a similar western and eastern divide, for Banana and Orange campaigns. And despite confessing to take a neutral stand, a senior Catholic prelate served as head of communication for the Banana camp.

Nonetheless, Shinyalu MP Justus Kizito observes the Church is justified to take an opposing view on the issue of abortion.

"It is part of the clergy’s duty, even if they do not personally believe so, to take the direction they have taken. After all, matters of the soul and the world must never mix and the Church must say ‘No’, even if it is for the record’s sake," Kizito told The Standard on Sunday.

Curiously, it is those among them who gave constitutional reforms the initial push in the early 1990s who have broken ranks with the rest of the clergy. This set of reformists, some who choked under tear gas in street protests or were lashed by the infamous ‘Jeshi La Mzee’ goons, include Njoya and ACK counterpart David Gitari.

Raucous response

Two weeks ago, Gitari’s appeal for a ‘Yes’ vote at Nairobi’s All Saints Cathedral was received with a raucous response from churchgoers. Gitari, who has consistently pushed for a new constitutional order for two decades, describes the current and Proposed Constitution as "two evils" but the latter as a "better evil".

Reflecting on the political duel at hand, National Council of Churches of Kenya General Secretary, Canon Peter Karanja, argues victory is not the clergy’s goal. The Church, he observes, must be counted for standing up against practices it believes are unchristian.