Kenya protests Papal diplomat’s remarks on Gen Z protests

Kenya, the third-largest Catholic nation in the East African Community, has lodged a formal protest with the Vatican, accusing the Pope’s top diplomat in Nairobi of using his influential position to publicly criticise the Kenyan government and its institutions regarding the recent Gen Z protests.

In a diplomatic protest note dated August 12, addressed to the Embassy of the Holy See, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs expressed disappointment with the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, for his "inflammatory utterances" that were seen as biased.

"Kenya and the Holy See enjoy longstanding, mutually beneficial, and cordial relations. It is, however, regrettable that the above undiplomatic and inflammatory utterances by the Archbishop were one-sided and were made at a time of grave national crisis," the Foreign Office stated.

The ministry further criticised the Archbishop, saying, "Without pointing out the broader context of the government's action as a responsible diplomat, the Nuncio chose to use his exalted position to berate the government of Kenya and its institutions."

"We find this conduct to be reprehensible and unbecoming of a distinguished member of the diplomatic corps," the letter added.

Archbishop van Megen, who serves as the Pope's ambassador to Kenya and South Sudan, commented on the recent youth-led protests against the controversial Finance Bill of 2024, describing the protests as a revolution that "turned tables" and calling for a rethinking of politics in the country.

His Excellency Archbishop Hubertus Maria van Megen. (Photo: Handout)

"Youths in the streets turned tables... turning tables in parliament, turning tables of the money changers, wanting to cleanse the temple of democracy," van Megen said in his homily on June 29 during the ordination of members of the Vincentian Congregation in Nairobi.

He continued, "If the government wants to allay the fear and anger not only of the youths but also of all the citizens and all the hustlers of this great nation, they cannot continue and do as if it's business as usual. Business has to change because our youths mean business."

The Archbishop also lamented the violence and loss of life during the protests, characterising the clashes as "oppressors against the oppressed; heavily armed security forces against poorly protected protesters."

He further condemned the reported abductions and mistreatment of internet influencers and student leaders, praising the Holy Family Minor Basilica in Nairobi for sheltering and comforting the wounded protesters.

"The church is a field hospital where the wounded can be taken care of. Where people find water to quench their thirst. Where desperate people can be consoled and lost people shown the way," the Dutch-born Vatican diplomat said.

van Megen is a 62-year-old Nairobi-based Vatican diplomat who started his service as Apostolic Nuncio in Sudan in 2014 and presented his credentials to former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2019.

The Holy See serves as the governing body of the Catholic Church worldwide and is based in Vatican City, Italy, which is a sovereign and independent territory.

The Kenyan government’s protest comes over two weeks after the Archbishop's remarks, which had been met with public praise but have now led to diplomatic friction.

The sentiments expressed by the Vatican's representative have also resonated with other foreign diplomats in Kenya, who have voiced similar concerns at public events.

Pro-reform protesters participate in an anti-government demonstration over what organisers say are tax hikes, bad governance, constitutional violations, extra-judicial killings and cost of living, in Nairobi, Kenya, August 8, 2024. REUTERS