By Ike Abonyi
In a forthright I am tempted to engage in a conversation over church matter because of germane issues.
Controversial Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka is trending in the social media over his homily on the high handedness of some Catholic priests to their worshippers. The encomium Mbaka is receiving from the preaching, especially from non- Catholics and even some Catholics is what prompted this my reaction.
That gathering was a community adoration ground which Pope Benedict encouraged us to do to venerate God, not a retreat for priests. It was not a synod where issues about the church are scrutinised for improvement. Fr. Mbaka turning adoration ground into a place to lampoon and skit his colleagues to me is self-serving and does not in any way deepen the Church.
The other day, Bishop Igwebuike Onah of Nsukka Diocese preached against priests’ overbearing attitude when he talked about apostles blocking people to see Christ, but handled it in a way that the congregation got the spiritual message not the down grading of priests.
The message Mbaka’s adoration members and even social media aficionados took home from his controversial homily on love is that priests are collapsing the church and chasing away members. This is not true because even in all their human failings, the priests have remained the substratum of the church.
Both Mbaka and those agreeing with him on the reason for people leaving the Catholic Church are mixing issues with faith. Is a real faithful Catholic in the Church because of a particular priest? Priests come and go all with their individual follies as human beings. Mbaka dwelled much on those leaving the church but was silent on those returning after discovering the missing link to Christ in other churches.
Undisputed that priests are the corner stones of the church but the system takes care of bad priests just like his Lordship, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, quickly took care of the bigotry of Rev. Fr James Anelu of Holy Trinity Parish, Ewa-Owa in Ikorodu, Lagos State. Even Mbaka’s populist story about the man who used a Pentecostal pastor to bury the mother and now became a Pentecostal did not meet my expectation of a true Catholic. If that wealthy man had shown presence in the village parish, the behaviour of the priest may have been different.
If the mother had been the type who always called on the son to contribute to happenings in the home Church, the priest would not have been that recalcitrant. It’s also wrong to say that church did not contribute when members were in the hospital. Money is not everything. If the parish was involved, they would have offered prayers at mass and individual societies and associations. In some instances, monies are also contributed to members who are active. My late mother was a member of St. Vincent de Paul and they contributed significantly during her ailment through prayers and booking of mass. That, the family appreciated greatly because you can’t give what you don’t have. Most parishes in the rural areas are just struggling.
What I am saying really, is that Fr Mbaka’s homily should not be taken in isolation of what is needed to keep church going. If other people are not contributing to keep the church going, there may not even be a resident priest in such area.
I undertake to bring this view at the risk of being misconstrued as backing high handedness of some priests who are really showing greed in carrying out their vocation. The system should monitor them but such isolated bad eggs shouldn’t be enough to denigrate and sneer the entire system.
Good a thing that the Catholic Church in Nigeria is already conducting synod to find a way of improving the System, issues of local churches being ignored to grow at their pace while we inject gold and ornaments in city churches does not encourage evangelicalism. The Church should be circumspect and cagey in responding to Pentecostal matters, especially in imitating their easy way. The way the church is going, very soon, Catechism and marriage band calling in the village parishes will be discarded because of people who do not want to relate with home parishes. No local church survives by occasional money that comes during burials.
The church really needs to define issues regarding burial because it appears to be the only meeting point between some runaway Catholics who went to the township to embrace another church in the name of modernity and growth. I maintain that identifying with the Church should not be only during burials, village parish is not an undertaker route but a worship centre available for the living, the dying and the dead. Even those in cult prepare for their burial.
I , therefore, insist that Fr Mbaka’s homily should have been at priests’ retreat, not at adoration ground, unless adoration no longer means deep love, respect and veneration to God. English Anglo Catholic Evelyn Underhill describes it as caring for God above all else. God help us.
• Abonyi is Catholic and a newspaper columnist.