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Tag: Catholic Archbishop

  • Catholic Archbishop urges electorate to vote for patriotic candidates

    The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, the  Imo capital, the  Most Rev Anthony Obinna, has urged the electorate in the state to vote patriotic and modest candidates in the upcoming elections.

    Obinna made the call during a Holy Mass for peaceful and successful elections conducted at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri yesterday.

    He said that candidates assessed to be patriotic and modest would less likely develop into tyrants and bullies when elected.

    According to him, such candidates will be more interested in hard work to ensure unity and development.

    Read also: EFCC arrests 6 suspected internet fraudsters

    The Catholic cleric further urged the voting public to undertake a thorough assessment of politicians before giving their votes.

    “We must in the interest of this country, vote correctly, conscientiously and without intimidation,” he said.

    Obinna also urged politicians and their parties to play by the rules to ensure a violence-free election.

    Also speaking during the event, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo, Prof. Emeka Ezeonu, promised that the forthcoming elections would be peaceful and credible.

    Ezeonu urged the people to take advantage of the new move by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) taking the PVCs to the wards.

    He said officers of the commission would be at the various wards between January 16 and 21 for distribution of voter cards.

  • Catholic Archbishop calls for unity among Nigerians

    The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has urged Nigerians to unite with one another in order to attract even growth and development in the country.

    Kaigama gave the advice yesterday at the opening mass of the 16th General Assembly of the archdiocese in Jos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the assembly was tagged:  “Revival of the Catholic Traditions and Etiquettes in Contemporary Nigerian Church: Catholic Archdiocese of Jos in Focus.’’

    According to Kaigama, tribalism, ethnic jingoism, religious bigotry and other divisive tendencies have over time constituted a serious bane in the developmental stride of the nation.

    He said: “It’s unfortunate that in Nigeria, we tend to harp more on things that divide us over those that unite us. I often hear people talk more about ethnic, political and religious divisions, rather than merit, hard work and togetherness.

    “I don’t get to see people behave in that manner when I was abroad, but here at home, it’s a common practice.

    “So, I want to urge all of us to talk more of things that bind us together rather than what divides us for only through that can we make meaningful progress as a nation.’’

    He also called on the wealthy in the society to assist the indigent, saying there was the need to bridge the wide poverty gap in the society.

     

  • ‘Why Catholic Archbishop is against Okorocha’

    ‘Why Catholic Archbishop is against Okorocha’

    Archbishop of the Owerri Catholic Diocese Rev. Anthony Obinna is fighting Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and the All Progressives Congress (APC) because the governor refused to fund Catholic mission schools, it was gathered.

    After the schools were returned to the Churches, Okorocha gave the Catholic Church N400 million take-off grant and refused to part with more money, saying the state could not continue to fund mission schools.

    But the cleric dismissed the governor’s reason as a mere excuse, accusing him of being ungrateful to the Catholic family after its role in his becoming governor.

    The cleric was instrumental to Okorocha’s becoming governor in 2011, after he led a campaign against then Governor Ikedi Ohakim, who was accused of beating a Revd. Father. Ohakim was, however, absolved of the allegations.

    Rev. Obinna and Okorocha enjoyed a father-son relationship after he became governor but things fell apart shortly after then.

    The cleric, according to investigations, was further infuriated when Okorocha turned down his request to post a Rev. Fr. as Chaplain of the Government Chapel. The governor said the chapel is interdenominational and so could not be headed by a Catholic priest.

    In 2015, the cleric threatened to stop Okorocha’s re-election, who he said failed to deliver on his electoral promises. He even mobilised the Catholic Church against the governor. And since then, Rev. Obinna had not pretended about his hatred for the Okorocha-led government and the APC.

    The face off climaxed recently at a requiem mass at St. Michaels Catholic Church, Ngwoma-Obube, in Owerri North, when the cleric openly castigated Okorocha’s administration. He told the people to vote out the APC and whoever the governor supports for any position in 2019.

    This almost led to a bloody clash between supporters of the APC and PDP.

    Okorocha’s wife Nkechi, his Chief of Staff Uche Nwosu, and Speaker of the House of Assembly Acho Ihim, also attended.

    Since then the media has been awash with news of assault on the Archbishop though he denied ever being physically assaulted.

    Many people, however, attributed their feud to the Archbishop’s insistence that Okorocha pay pension arrears.

    But Director of Communication of the Owerri Archdiocese, Rev. Father George Nwachukwu, said Rev. Obinna has nothing personal against the governor and is only fighting for the people.

    He said: “The governor started very well in 2011, and he had a good relationship with the Archbishop, until he deviated and the people started crying. The Archbishop, being a representative of Christ on earth, stood up in the people’s defence and there is nothing personal about that.

    “And on the issue of funding of Catholic schools, we have no problem about that; the schools are doing well.”

  • Catholic Archbishop to priests: live up to your vows

    •Cleric worried about endemic poverty

    The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Archdiocese, Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins has urged Catholic priests to ensure that the values and virtues of the church are preserved.

    He gave the address during the Chrism Mass at Saints Michael, Raphael and Gabriel Catholic Church (Archangels’), Satellite town.

    Archbishop Martins said Chrism Mass is an opportunity for every priest to renew their priestly vow and commitment to God while rededicating themselves to the service of God and humanity.

    “What they have renewed today should be kept afresh and the light should shine incessantly in them, so that they shepherd the people of God in the right direction,” the cleric stated.

    The archbishop advised the priests never to be distracted, but remain faithful to their calling.

    Commenting on the Easter celebration and the state of the nation, the archbishop said Easter is an expression of hope and that by the grace of God, “whatever is dead in mankind will resurrect and come back alive”.

    “Whatever that is old in us can be renewed by God. It tells us that our hope in life is based on the risen Lord,” he said.

    The cleric urged leaders to emulate the virtues of Christ and reduce the suffering of the people they serve.

    The archbishop noted that Nigeria is faced with challenges.

    “There is too much despondency poverty and suffering, and if care is not taken to remedy the situation, the people will one day stand up and revolt because their expectations from the government have not been met. The suffering masses expect policy implementation that will improve their living standard vigorously.”

  • Saving CAN from Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

    •Being an article written by Senator Akume on issues affecting the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), including the controversi

    al $9.3 million allegedly meant for arms’ purchase seized by South Africa’s airport authorities from two Nigerians and an Isreali.

    I wish to express my utmost dismay and anger over how hard Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the president of the Crhistian Association of Nigeria (CAN), is working to destroy the little credibility that is left of this once glorious organisation. Still trending a clearly criminal, immoral and unethical act is being white-washed with religious grandstanding.

    It is necessary that those of us who profess the Christian faith and have since the return to democratic rule in 1999, offered ourselves to serve this country sometimes at grave personal risks must speak out against the brazen attempts to hijack our religion and use it for purposes that are clearly against the tenets of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

    On September 5, 2014, a jet owned by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor was caught in South Africa stashed with United States Dollars to the tune of 9.3 million undeclared cash purportedly meant for the purchase of arms through the black market. The circumstances surrounding the incident suggest that those ferrying the money did it in open breach of Nigerian and international laws. South Africa has already established a prima facie case of criminality involved in the questionable misadventure.

    Pastor  Oritsejafor has openly confessed that he owns the jet involved in this crime. He however, claimed that the jet was leased out to Eagle Air, which again leased it out to Green Coast Produce Limited. He has desperately tried to absolve himself of the crime committed by those who were transferring money illegally.

    His arguments are unsustainable because he has vicarious liability at several levels. One, the vessel used for criminal activity belongs to him.

    Secondly, he commercially leased the vessel to Eagle Air, which is a company he holds an interest in and which in turn further leased same to the company that converted it to commercial use with his full knowledge and approval. The chain of ethical liability is unbroken. How will the pastor explain his involvement with people engaged in the murky waters of international arms trafficking?

    The CAN President claimed that his congregation donated this same jet to him on the 40th anniversary of his ministry sometime in 2012 for the purpose of attending to his flock and doing God’s work. The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 600 was registered as a privately owned jet supposedly for pastoral use. However, the three passengers arrested in South Africa with the aircraft were definitely not on a pastoral visit to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

    Unfortunately, the CAN has jumped into this fray, hurling insults on respectable members of the society and making statements that are more political than spiritual. I wish to remind officials of CAN that when on August 27, 1976, Christian leaders first met at the Catholic secretariat, Lagos, they agreed to establish an organisation that would promote cooperation among Christians, interfaith harmony and safeguard the welfare of all Nigerians. When CAN was eventually registered in 1986, its constitution clearly articulated among other objectives to act as *”watchperson of the spiritual and moral welfare of the nation.”*  Another core objective is to promote understanding, peace and unity among the various people of Nigeria.

    From the pioneer president of CAN His Eminence Dominic Cardinal Ekandem (of blessed memory) through his several revered successors like His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie, Dr. Sunday Mbang, Most Rev. Peter Akinola and the immediate past President of CAN and Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, CAN witnessed it’s glorious years.  The organisation promoted religious harmony through inter-faith dialogue.

    Cardinal Onaiyekan and the Sultan of Sokoto were even considered for the Nobel Peace prize award. CAN in those years, regularly advise government on diverse issues affecting ordinary citizens and remained a strident voice for the voiceless. Those were those days. Today, the story is different.

    Since the present CAN leadership came on board, CAN has become a sorry appendage of the Villa. It has become politically partisan, obscenely materialistic and the voice of the oppressor rather than the oppressed. The situation degenerated to a state that the single largest block of CAN, which is, the Catholic Church suspended itself from the national leadership of CAN until “sanity” returns to the leadership.

    Those of us who are Christians and are saddled with leadership positions are terribly disappointed that this once glorious organisation has become the defender of criminal acts that have exposed Nigeria to international ridicule. The Jet in question is not the property of CAN. It belongs to Pastor Oritsejafor, supposedly donated to him by his congregation. This was a private jet for spiritual work but as the owner himself has confessed, it was leased out for financial gain. The Jet was on a mission to buy arms or so we are told. The arms merchants, who hired the jet, behaved as outlaws by brazenly breaching the laws of Nigeria, South Africa and the United Nations. This is against all the teachings of Christ, who urged all his followers to be law-abiding and give unto Caesar what is his.

    The present leadership of CAN has never raised a comment on the legion of scandals President Jonathan has buffeted Nigerians with. CAN was not heard on the fuel subsidy scam, pension scam, kerosene scam, Deizani’s myriad of sleazes, etc. etc. Rather, CAN is badmouthing any Nigerian, who dares to admonish or even interrogate the series of controversies Pastor Oritsejafor is visiting on Christendom.

    May it not be recorded in our national history that in Nigeria, saints are demonised and demons are canonised? My appeal to our brothers in the North is that what they see in CAN today has nothing to do with Christianity, but everything to do with crass materialism and self-seeking opportunism. Thank God, not all hope is lost for Christendom. When Nigerian Christians expect a voice of reason from it’s leaders, such voice always comes assuredly from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

    Finally, my appeal to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor is that as a Christian leader, his beacon should be Jesus the Christ. The Christ, who was born in a manger, had no place to sleep; borrowed a donkey to ride into Jerusalem; borrowed the upper room to have his last Supper with his Apostles and after his death, was buried in a borrowed tomb. If Christ lived over 2,000 years ago and his lifestyle cannot resonate Pastor Ayo’s present reality, he may yet emulate the Catholic Pontiff Pope Francis, who does not have a private jet although his flock numbers over a billion and spread allover the world.

    I advise him to sell this controversial jet and use the funds to reconstruct or rehabilitate churches destroyed by Boko Haram in the Northeast. This advice is especially apt now that the Pastor no longer needs the plane for pastoral duties.

     

    •Akume is Senate Minority Leader