Italian priest quits Catholic Church, marries Kenyan woman in traditional ceremony

An Italian Catholic priest, Sandro Ferretto, aged 55, has relinquished his vocation and wedded a woman from Kenya's Baringo South. Ferretto, once a parish priest in Kasiela and Mochongoi, held a traditional wedding ceremony on September 6 with Jepng’ok. The union was formalized through a Kalenjin customary marriage rite, featuring dowry negotiations and blessings. The community, elders, leaders, and Jepng’ok's colleagues celebrated the occasion, marking the couple's step into married life.

Ferretto was ordained a Catholic priest in Italy's Diocese of Padua in 2008 and embarked on missionary work in Kenya. He served in Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu, earning recognition for his pastoral work, youth programs, and community development efforts. Ferretto returned to Italy in 2020 and then to Kenya in 2023, resuming pastoral duties in Saletto, Borgo Veneto. He took a period of reflection before returning to Kenya, reuniting with Jepng’ok.

The marriage has garnered attention in both nations due to Ferretto's strong ties to the Baringo community and his decision to leave the priesthood for family life. Under Latin Catholic canon law, priests are typically bound to celibacy and are forbidden from marrying while in sacred orders. Canon 277 §1 obligates clerics to observe "perfect and perpetual continence," highlighting celibacy as a special gift enabling priests to focus on Christ and service to others.

Canon 1087 stipulates that those in sacred orders who attempt marriage are invalidly doing so. Ferretto's departure from the priesthood and marriage to Jepng’ok symbolize a profound personal transition, continuing his enduring relationship with the Kenyan community where he served for years as a missionary.