Kenyan Bishop Willybard Lagho appointed to Vatican Dicastery of Interreligious Dialogue
The body is charged with the role of advising and supporting the Catholic Church's mission of dialogue with other religious faiths
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Malindi Bishop Willybard Kithogo Lagho to the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.
Bishop Lagho currently serves as chairman of the Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism (CIRDE) at the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) and also as chairman of the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK), which promotes harmony among Kenya’s diverse religious communities.
According to the Catholic Information Service for Africa (CISA), his appointment underscores the Vatican’s recognition of his leadership and recognition to fostering peaceful coexistence of different faiths, both locally and globally.
The Dicastery is charged with the role of advising and supporting the Catholic Church’s mission of dialogue with other religious faiths.
Lagho was ordained as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Malindi on March 19, 2021, at St Anthony’s Cathedral at Malindi.
Upon his ordination after being appointed by Pope Francis, Bishop Lagho called on Christians, leaders of various sectors and all people of good will to embrace unity and peace so that harmony can prevail in the society.
He promised to work towards building and promoting peace among the people of Malindi and the entire country.
“In my vision, and in my leadership and responsibilities in the community, I will commit myself to building unity among the people living and receiving their services in Malindi,” the newly ordained Bishop said asking for God’s intervention to have “a dignified direction to live in peace and harmony.”
Bishop Lagho who until his appointment has been the Vicar General and Head of Secretariat in the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa from 2008, called on citizens and all leaders to shun away from negative reaction to those who have different opinion from theirs.
“Let us stop the idea of dividing people because that behavior fosters hatred and divisions among people rather than uniting them,” he said encouraging all people to respect each other regardless of religious or political differences.
Explaining his coat of arms whose slogan is “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Rt. Rev. Lango who succeeds the late Bishop Emanuel Barbara (OFM Cap) who died in January 2018, said, “The message of peacemaking is well illustrated by the slogan. So, let us work together to build peace, to be part of it and to spread the Gospel.”
He further stressed the need for unity saying that “Kenyans are not only seeking reconciliation with religious leaders but also with cultural and political leaders.”
“Let us embrace those people who have been perceived as evil… Let us overcome social, political and religious animosity with pure motives; let us not make hatred and oppression part of our Kenyan culture,” the former Consultor in the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue in Rome, Italy appealed.
He added, “Kenya is a home for all of us and the time to embrace peace and unity is now because if we wait for tomorrow we may be too late.”
