Pope Francis, the father of all Catholic faithful worldwide has condemned the attack on the Enugu Bishop, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga by the followers of controversial priest and leader of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka.
All this drama took place when Rev. Father Mbaka made an insulting statement against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, calling him a “Stingy Man.” After this insulting statement, the Bishop of Enugu imposed a pastoral ban on Mbaka’s ministry.
Barely 24 hours after the members of the adoration ministry crowded the adoration ground in protest of the pastoral injunction, one of the protesters who identified himself as Elijah in a viral video said, he will kill the Bishop wherever he finds him.
The spoke person to Pope Francis, Anthonio Guido Filipazzi on Thursday during the installation of Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji as the new metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province in Owerri, Imo State condemned the protest at the adoration ground.
Filipazzi, stated, during a homily at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri. he said, “I must warn the people of God against disobedient to the church’s constitutional authorities. you must not take the laws into their hands as followers of Jesus Christ.
“The people of God must be mindful of the abuse of social media to cause the church scandals. You must bear in mind that the church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic and not a place where people take laws into their hands.”
He also advised the Catholic faithful to be conscious of their relationship with their Bishop and always respect the laws of the church. He also advised the Catholic clergy to always preach the undiluted word of God.
The new Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, also called on those fueling the insecurity in Imo State and the Southeast to stop. He said peace was the only way for the region to develop.
He said, “Peace comes when people are free from oppression, unemployment, exploitation, and injustice. The church will continue to partner with the government to make society better.
“Peace is the bedrock of development. There is no sustainable development without peace, peace takes root when people are free from hunger, poverty, unemployment, suppression, and exploitation, we have to work together to save our people from the prevailing scourge of violence and insecurity that have brought unimaginable grief, trauma, and fear to our fellow citizen in the state.”