Tag Archives: lucas gatobu

A Catholic Priest, Imam, and Anglican Walk into a Chapel…

A writer with Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa had a witty beginning to his story on the work of chaplains with their counterparts in the Kenyan military:

A Kenyan catholic priest, Anglican priest, and Muslim imam walk into a chapel.

This is not the start of a joke, but the beginning of a new partnership between Kenyan and U.S. military chaplains…Kenyan army Lt. Col. Alfayo Lelei, Kenyan air force Lt. Col. Lucas Gatobu and Kenyan army Maj. Mohamed Shukry [joined American chaplains] to discuss ways to better serve U.S. and Kenyan service members’ spiritual needs.

While chaplains protect the religious rights of those in the US military, some also serve “strategic” goals of the US military, engaging local religious leaders during conflicts and, as here, helping other nations in the development of their chaplaincies.

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Chaplains Demonstrate Religious Freedom to African Nation

It has been said here often that the US military can provide an excellent example of religious freedom to other nations who have yet to fully grasp that human liberty.  Unfortunately, in efforts to shore up support with locals, it seems the local religion may get emphasized more than religious freedom.  For example, messages from Afghanistan often tout the United States’ respect for, support of, and even defense of the religion of Islam — rather than its respect, support, and defense of religious freedom.

US military chaplains may be an exception to those omissions.  Within the Read more