The Knights of St. John International (KSJI) and Ladies’ Auxiliary, has joined the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to seek a halt to blasphemy against the Catholic faith.
The KSJI stated this in a statement signed by its Supreme Subordinate President Nigeria, Sir Remy Uche, at the end of its emergency Executive Board Meeting held during the week.
The Knights reaffirmed the position of the CBCN’s President, His Grace, Most Rev. Lucious Ugorji, who had earlier condemned the act of mimicking the Catholic Church’s way of worship in any form.
The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to a very audacious act, aimed at ridiculing the Catholic faith, and making light of what we hold very sacred. We condemn in very strong terms, an attempt by faceless individuals at Achina, Anambra State, where a masquerade, was dressed in the caricature of the vestment of a bishop, clutching a crosier and blessing the people and also in Adazi Nnukwu, Anambra State, where they were making light of the importance of the Eucharist in what seems like a Eucharistic procession, while clutching a monstrance.
“As a responsible body saddled with the defence of the Christian faith as presented by the Catholic Church, we the KSJI are not only condemning the act of blasphemy on the part of these reckless actors, but we are also calling on government agencies saddled with maintenance of law and order to quickly nip the act in the bud, before it is too late.”
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They decried the wave of blasphemy in the name of content creation.
“It was like witnessing again, the Roman soldiers slapping our Lord Jesus Christ, weaving on His head the crown of thorns, and, in mockery, calling him the “king of the Jews.” This, for us, is a sin, and we hope that the perpetrators, who appear to understand the significance of the elements and forms of our worship, will have a rethink and approach God for forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation,” it added.
They, therefore, called on security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities of safeguarding the peace of our society, adding that they have seen countless communities go up in flames for fewer acts of blasphemy.
“The church is not in any way against the culture of the people, but when some unscrupulous people hide behind cultural heritage to stoke the amber of discord, then, the act could be seen as criminal and capable of causing disaffection between the adherents of two different faiths,” the Knights said.
They appealed to all Catholics, “whose sensibilities have been abused by these ungodly actions, to continue to bear wrong patiently as this is one of the hallmarks of our faith.”