Man who tried to ‘kill’ Jesus, the second time at Nairobi’s Holy Family Basilica: He claimed that he had been sent by higher authorities

By Charles Muchiri

Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi

As you step into Nairobi’s Holy Family Basilica’s Adoration Chapel, you will quickly notice that the exposed Blessed Sacrament is safely caged behind a glassed structure.

You may wonder why the Church has decided to expose Christ but at the same time place the monstrance behind this structure.

The decision to secure the monstrance and by extension, the exposed Christ was taken by the Church after an unfortunate incident that took place on one fine afternoon, mid last year.

Armed with a hammer that was well concealed inside a black plastic bag, he strode into Kenya’s Highest Profile Catholic Church’s adoration chapel at the Holy Family Minor Basilica, and literally tried to kill Jesus, the second time.

Wearing a checked blue shirt, a descent pair of black trouser and an official black pair of shoes, he could have passed for any other worshiper at the Nairobi’s biggest Catholic Church. But the man was in a destructive mission.

“We were about ten worshipers at the Chapel and the lunch time Mass was in progress at the adjacent main Church when he walked in with a black paper bag,” said a shocked adorer.

“The man went straight and lifted the monstrance (the device which hoists the blessed Eucharist or body of Christ) and hit it with the hammer,” the shocked worshiper narrated to press.

“We are calling upon Christians to be calm and understand that such things do happen to test our faith,” Said Fr Moses Kago, a resident Priest at the Minor Basilica.

Worshipers at the scene narrated how they restrained him, snatched the hammer out of his hands and dragged him towards the Parish office where he was briefly held as the Church’s administration awaited the police to come and pick him up.

The identity of the attacker could not be immediately established as he went dump soon after he uttered a few words.

“When we questioned him, he told us that he was sent by ‘higher authorities’, when we questioned him on who these ‘higher authorities’ were, he told us that before the World was created, there existed two authorities, then he wouldn’t speak a word after that,” said another Worshiper who witnessed the sacrilegious destruction.

“If the person who has committed this crime is a Catholic, the only person who can take him back into the fold is the Holy Father (the Pope) himself,” says another resident priest Fr Michael Kamau.

Father Kamau was just in time to catch up on what had transpired at the church and he appeared utterly shocked. “We now have to wait for a directive from our Bishop – the Cardinal on whether to first have a cleansing service before resuming normal adoration,” Fr Kamau had told me at the side-lines of this incidence as more curious Christians and a handful of journalists edged to have a glimpse at the chained perpetrator.

“I was inside the main Church and the Holy Mass was in progress,” says another worshiper, Denis Mitieka. “Just about the time consecration was taking place, we heard some screams from outside. It was very confusing since we could not storm out of a Mass in progress and we knew something funny was happening outside,” says Denis.

Later on, the intruder appeared in a Nairobi court to answer to charges of decimating Church property, but the case never saw much public light.

A monstrance is a special vessel that is used in the Roman Catholic Church to place and demonstrate consecrated Eucharist host for worship during benediction or for adoration.

Father Kago says that the destroyed monstrance cost the Basilica about half a million shillings.

This was the second time in the recent past that an intruder had been at it, destroying religious objects at the Holy Family Basilica. Earlier on, another intruder stormed into the same Church and desecrated the images of the blessed family; Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

/Follow this writer on Twitter: @muchirimuchoki/