The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Calistus Onaga has banned the Catholic faithful from attending Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry.

This follows Mbaka’s recent comments against the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, whom he called a ‘stingy man’.

Fr. Mbaka had apologised to Obi and his supporters on Friday after the Enugu Diocese dissociated itself from the cleric’s utterances, which it described as divisive and unbecoming of a priest.

It also reported that Mbaka breached canon 220 of 1983 Code of Canon Law which prohibits anyone from illegitimately tarnishing the good name of another person.

However, in a letter Bishop Onaga personally signed, which was addressed to ‘All the Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu’, the diocese banned Catholics from having anything to do with the Adoration Ministry.

He said in the letter that Mbaka having refused to heed to the Church’s persistent directives,

and in fulfillment of my pastoral duties as the Chief Shepherd,

I hereby prohibit all Catholics (clergy, religious and lay faithful) henceforth from attending all religious and liturgical activities of the Catholic Adoration Ministry until the due canonical process initiated by the Diocese is concluded.

While noting that his decision was based on the fact that Mbaka’s teaching and utterances were not consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church, he enjoined

all Christian faithful to keep praying for Fr. Mbaka.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.