Following a decade of battle and disruptions to a latest service of reconciliation at St. Luke’s Cathedral, Sapele, the Church of Nigeria’s primate, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba introduced a takeover of the Delta State diocese’s cathedral. He suspended eight clergy of the Diocese of Sapele and dissolved the cathedral’s lay governance buildings, entrusting the congregation to a caretaker committee.
In a January 27 assertion, the primate described the choice as a response to an “exhibition of insubordination.” He additionally famous that he and his predecessor, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, had “constituted panels upon panels to dealer peace beneath a united and indivisible Diocese beneath God being led by the Bishop which is the important hallmark of Anglican governance, however some people have openly defied all efforts to toe the trail of peace with a view to put an finish to the perennial crises to entrench lasting peace within the Diocese.”
The assertion singled out the disruption by protesters of a January 18 service attended by the archbishop and bishops of the Province of Bendel, which was supposed to welcome again the Rt. Rev. Blessing Erifeta to his ministry as diocesan bishop. Protesters allegedly carried placards denouncing Erifeta’s management, disrupted the service with singing, and blocked the cathedral’s entrance, stopping the bishop from coming into the cathedral.
Erifeta was first pressured to flee the diocese in June 2015, when congregants there locked him and his spouse out of their residence there, and he has not been in a position to completely reestablish his ministry there since. His opponents accuse him of misusing church funds and failing to recurrently pay the diocese’s clerics.
Sapele’s diocesan communicator, the Ven. Theophilus Usikaro, famous in a press release obtained by The Dwelling Church that the disaster has exhausted the Church of Nigeria’s dispute decision mechanisms, and has concerned the state Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee and the Excessive Courtroom.
When contacted by TLC to inform his personal aspect of the story, the embattled bishop stated he would require clearance from the workplace of the Primate to know if he might touch upon the problem or not.
Amos Amiele Akhigbe, a person who described himself as a church member, petitioned the primate to elevate the suspensions in an undated letter circulating on social media.
Akhibe argues that, “The credibility of the church and certainly its ethical witness on the earth will depend on our dedication to integrity, equity and the willingness to confront troublesome truths. The suspension of those that name for justice undermines that dedication.”
The petitioner claims that these calling investigations into Erifeta’s actions have a “honest need to uphold the integrity of our religion neighborhood and the rules of justice which might be foundational to our teachings.
“I urge you to elevate the suspension on those that have been unjustly penalised for calling for an investigation and to make sure that this matter is handled in accordance with the rules of justice and fact that our religion calls for.
“Might you in your position because the non secular chief of our church select the trail of fact, transparency and justice for all members of the church.
Akpos Ovie Edoreh, a member of a church in Sapele diocese stated “The controversy surrounding St. Luke’s Cathedral Sapele requires non secular vigilance as such developments threatens the ethical authority and non secular basis of our church”.
magistrate Gad Onyeanu, a longtime Anglican, instructed TLC: “The Sapele disaster has lingered for too lengthy which is what I discovered very unhealthy ,unbiblical and at variance with the Phrase of God. The disaster has been a really huge dent on the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion….the laity have been so annoyed spiritually over monetary aggrandizement within the church.
He expressed regrets that a few of those that are speculated to be ethical examples and soul winners for the Kingdom aren’t dwelling as much as that invoice.
“Take an instance, a mean Bishop wishes two issues: (1) purchase a PhD (2) Journey overseas, particularly to the U.S. and ship their youngsters to review abroad- at very excessive tuition on the expense of the laity”, Onyeanu asserted.
One other longtime Anglican elder, who requested to stay nameless stated that the disaster in Sapele “underscores the extent of profligacy that goes on within the church. It casts shadows over the revered picture of the Bishopric, elevating questions on transparency, accountability, credibility and integrity within the church.
“It’s a huge disgrace that whereas folks of the opposite religion are engaged pursuing strategic blueprints on the place their religion must be within the subsequent 30 years, our folks – Christians are combating and a few of the church leaders are extra involved about ‘what’s in it for me’ within the church.
“That’s the reason this Christian genocide and persecution is escalating. Clergymen and Christians are being killed on daily basis but, the church is just not doing sufficient. This obvious inertia on the church’s management degree is to say the least, regarding. We thank God the usgovernment has taken on the battle on behalf of the susceptible Christians.”
Okay.C. Nwajei is a contract journalist based mostly in Nigeria.
