World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended congratulations to Dr Francis Kuria Kagema, who was appointed as the new secretary general for the Religions for Peace World Council.
“I note with appreciation the work you have done to advance your organisation’s mission in building bridges of understanding and cooperation among people of diverse faiths and traditions throughout Africa when you served as regional secretary,” wrote Pillay. “What you have accomplished while serving the African region will transfer to a global stage as you guide the five regional secretariats to transform violent conflict, advance human development, promote just and harmonious societies, and protect the earth.”
Pillay noted that the World Council of Churches’s inter-religious work thematically intersects with the aims of the Religions for Peace World Council.
“Peace-building, protection of the earth as our common home, and building solidarity among people are pivotal to the World Council of Churches’s planned focus for the 2023-2030 strategic period, as they have been historically,” Pillay wrote. “Our commitment to inter-religious dialogue and cooperation programmatically is through transversal work that facilitates inter-religious partnerships and contributes to creating and maintaining trust as a prerequisite for inter-religious solidarity in a world that is ambivalent about the role of religion in society.”
Dr. Francis Kuria Kagema is the Secretary General of Religions for Peace International, Secretary General of the African Council of Religious Leaders-RfP and former Executive Director of Interreligious Council of Kenya (IRCK-RfP), a position he has held since 2008.
He previously served as Programmes Director and head of the IRCK-RfP secretariat for a period of six years. Before joining the IRCK-RfP, Dr. Kuria worked as the National Coordinator for the Small Business Network, an organisation advocating for small and medium enterprises. He also worked as a Financial Analyst at the Nairobi Stock Exchange and as a volunteer with St. John Ambulance Brigade where he worked for 16 years, eventually retiring as Assistant Commissioner, Training, and Operations in 1998. A holder of a degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Kuria is married with four children.
