INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AND SOCIAL COHESION: THE PASTORAL APPROACH OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF MOMBASA (1983-2023)

Abstract

Dialogue has become a viable means for negotiating peace in multireligious societies. Religious institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) have diversely embraced Interreligious Dialogue (IRD) as a non-violent alternative mechanism for unifying conflicting communities and building social cohesion. This study sought to investigate the pastoral contribution of the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa to interreligious dialogue and social cohesion from 1983 to 2023. It addressed the following objectives; i) to analyze the theological development on IRD and its application by the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa in advocacy for social cohesion; ii) to establish the socio-historical persuasions that informed the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa’s IRD initiatives on social cohesion; iii) determine the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa’s IRD initiatives promoting social cohesion iv) to investigate government initiatives complementing the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa’s IRD programs on social cohesion; and lastly identify the challenges the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa encountered in its IRD initiatives for social cohesion. Using Grounded Theory, the study utilized a mixed empirical design with both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Qualitatively, 30 interviews and two FGDs of 10 respondents were conducted with religious leaders drawn from Christianity, Islam, African Traditional Religion (ATR), and Hinduism. The study also surveyed 100 RCC laity through questionnaires. This study argues that the RCC adopted IRD as a non-violet alternative mechanism towards social cohesion. The study established that Vatican II (1962-1965) brought renewal to the RCC, which led to theological, liturgical, and pastoral changes witnessed in the Archdiocese of Mombasa. Thus, the RCC adopted a positive attitude by employing IRD towards promoting social cohesion. The RCC formulated dialogue as part of its core mission by partnering with other religious institutions to implement several peacebuilding initiatives across religious divides. Based on the grounded theory, the study established that the RCC understood social cohesion from a multidimensional perspective, thus pursuing horizontal and vertical cohesion through formal and informal dialogue pedagogies. The main IRD initiatives pursued by the RCC included IRD education and awareness programs, humanitarian action through peace connecting projects, symbolic gestures, charity, and hospitality toward other religions and cultures. The study established that the IRD processes were constrained by social and religious challenges and economic, political, historical, and institutional barriers. These were worsened by a lack of an assessment tool to determine the outcome of IRD processes towards social cohesion. In summary, this study established that the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa implemented four types of dialogue: dialogue of life, dialogue of action, dialogue of religious experience, and dialogue of theological exchanges. This thesis argues that dialogue of life and dialogue of action were the main IRD models promoted by the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa. These forms of dialogue were complemented by state dialogue initiatives that cut horizontal and vertical strands of social cohesion. Lastly, the RCC Archdiocese of Mombasa offered a broad portrait of IRD in the struggle for social cohesion, and the study recommends more cross-cultural engagement to improve social cohesion and peaceful co-existence between religious groups.