The Rt Revd Dr Francis Omondi, Bishop of Garissa in the province of the Anglican Church of Kenya and member of the Anglican Communion Inter Faith Commission, shares his thoughts on the role of inter faith relations in his community and his own faith journey.
How are you involved in inter faith relations in your role as the Bishop of Garissa in Kenya?
“My present position as bishop plunges me into deeper inter faith relations, but I have been involved for the last 35 years with people of other faiths”… for a long time, I’ve been wanting to build a bridge between Christians and Muslims.”
How do faiths work together to make a difference in your setting?
While the majority of people in Kenya identify as Christian, most of the people in his diocese are Muslim and while faith leaders have not always been able to align their values between traditions, Bishop Francis believes there are many common challenges and issues they face which could be worked on together.
“First, we are all human with common challenges in politics, education, health, wealth, economy and nationhood and we need common ways of addressing them. Secondly, we have things in common to both faiths that we can explore and work together.”
Bishop Francis described a friend’s vision for his mission upon becoming a Bishop. “He told me ‘you’re coming in as a beacon, and a bridge. To build a bridge of understanding, of relationship, bridges of working together with Muslims on national issues.” Bishop Francis shared that his mission as a bishop of his diocese is to “shine light on atrocities and things that are not working well because a beacon sheds light for correction”, and invites “Christians to do what is right in loving their neighbours.”
Why are inter faith relations important to you?
Bishop Francis reflected that a fundamental purpose of faith is to “seek to understand God and to share about Him.” He stated that despite antagonistic relationships and historic disputes between the faiths in Kenya, they have this fundamental thing in common. “As we discover each other, we discover that we are all in the journey of seeking to know God, to understand what we have been called to believe. We then can learn from each other how we can enrich each other’s faith in this manner.”
Bishop Francis shared that through sharing his faith and seeking to learn more about Islam, he has seen those of different faiths resist the human urge to look down on others and enabled them to “meet as humans”, allowing for connection.
How has engaging with other faiths enriched your life and faith?
“My first understanding was that we were so divided, we were so against each other and most of this was due to a misunderstanding of what Muslims were. I remember my first experience was sharing my faith among Muslims, and I was stoned. We were going to an area that was mostly a Muslim area and trying to share with them the message of love. So this experience made me begin to think, ‘Is there something that we are not getting right?’ and it helped me want to understand what Muslims were, what Islam was, in order to go past that barrier to at least communicate the message that we had.
“Over the years, I became more acquainted with them. Not only their religion but I also made friends with them. My life has been shaped with them. They also shaped my theology and faith. I have gotten to know more of my faith through my interactions with Muslims. Muslims are very liturgical in their approach to faith and religion and my appreciation of liturgy was activated in my interactions with them. In a way, they helped me discover my faith and my Christian tradition.”
Bishop Francis shared that he now chooses to fast during both Ramadan and Lent to respect the diverse faiths in his diocese.
Is there a particular bible verse that inspires you to engage with inter faith dialogues?
Bishop Francis finds the words of Acts 1:8 inspire him in his evangelism and inter faith mission. “My interfaith goal is to allow us to be effective witnesses. As Anglicans in the whole communion, we are sent to be in the world as a witness and we cannot avoid it. We are instructed, ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria to the end of the earth’. He is still calling us to practice our faith in how we relate to humans, like Jesus did.”
Bishop Francis also shared that learning more about Islam has inspired his inter faith mission. “I’ve found through reading the Quranic texts that there are strong pointers to who Jesus is and there are also invitations that Muslims and Christians should dialogue. And who else can engage in this if not us?”
How can Anglicans help the persecuted church?
The Garissa diocese is one of the largest dioceses in the Anglican Church of Kenya but according to Bishop Francis, it houses the least number of Christians, endures terrorist attacks from across the border and is “the most neglected part of the country”.
He invites “the Communion to pray for us, to find means to be a witness to the people in this context. A fervent prayer and any participation that the Spirit may lead would be very helpful to our mission.”
Bishop Franics also spoke of his wish to serve the community through pastoral care, schools and medical services and “to be witnesses in those manners” but lacks the resources.
