Pope Francis to stay at Vatican embassy in Nairobi

Ongoing construction works along the roads leading to The Apostolic Nuncio in Westlands, Nairobi where his Holiness Pope Francis will be staying during his three day visit in Nairobi

NAIROBI: Pope Francis will stay at the Apostolic Nunciature in Westlands, Nairobi, during his three-day visit in Kenya, Vatican embassy in Nairobi has confirmed.

According to the Pope’s representative to Kenya, Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo, the pontiff will not stay at any hotel during the tour that begins on November 25.

And a special ambulance that will be used by Pope Francis in case of a medical emergency has been shipped to Nairobi.

According to Archbishop Balvo, even though the Pope is a head of state, his unique position as the head of the Catholic Church does not allow the pontiff to stay at any government residence or hotel.

“The Pope will be staying here at the Nunciature and that is the law and tradition of the church,” said Balvo, who is also Vatican’s ambassador to Kenya and Sudan.

The Apostolic Nunciature is the official title used to refer to any of the Vatican embassies in the world and it is also known as the Embassy of the Holy See.

When The Standard visited the Nunciature in Nairobi, the road leading to the embassy was still undergoing repair.

The embassy on Manyani Road, off Waiyaki Way in Westlands, is surrounded by a number of Catholic missionary centres.

Ambassador Balvo further added that the embassy will only host the Pope plus a small team made of the Vatican circle of clergy who normally travel with the pontiff.

“The Vatican accredited media personalities have made plans to stay at Vila Rosa Kempinsky because the Press normally have more things to carry when they travel plus they are funded by their respective agencies,” he said.

LOCAL SEMINARY

During the Pope’s recent visit to the US, the pontiff first stayed at the Nunciature of the United Nations in New York. However, when he went to Philadelphia, the Pope stayed at a local Catholic seminary since the State of Philadelphia has no Nunciature.

According to sources, the ambulance will be on standby in every venue the Pope will visit, and it will be part of the entourage that will accompany the pontiff.

A medical team made of different specialists has already visited all the places the Pope is expected to visit such as Kangemi and the University of Nairobi to map out strategic points where the ambulance will be parked.

Peter Magu, member of the local organising committee, confirmed that a team that included members of the disaster management committee had visited different venues.

“There was a team here and they want to ensure that they will be able to deal with emergencies. It is not only for the Pope, but also the people who will be attending the meetings with the Pope,” said Mr Magu.

The arrival of the ambulance marks the beginning of several equipment expected to be deployed into the country in preparation for the Pope’s visit.

The ambulance is heavily equipped with hi-tech facilities to handle any kind of situation that may occur, especially on his health. The special vehicle was taken to undisclosed location.

The Pope’s visit involves high-level security arrangements and other logistics due to large crowds that gather to see him and the potential threat to his life.

Any country hosting the Pope, in his capacity as the Roman Catholic leader and head of state of Vatican City, has to be ready to secure the pontiff who heads more than 1.2 billion Catholics in the world.

Among other vehicles expected to arrive in the country any time from now is the one that carries the Pope, also known as the Popemobile. It is heavily secured with bullet proof glasses that ensure the Pope remains safe in all his travels.

At the same time, the Nunciature said whereas Kenya should expect many visitors during papal visit, not many bishops will be from outside Kenya.