Catholic secretariat asks Enugu bishop to caution Mbaka

The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria on Monday expressed concern over the “excesses” of a Roman Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, whose recent comments on the 2015 general elections have continued to generate ripples.

Mbaka had in his New Year message slammed President Goodluck Jonathan, asking him to quietly resign from office.

While calling on the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Callistus Onaga, to caution the priest, the CSN said Mbaka’s comments concerning the President and the forthcoming general elections were his personal opinion and not that of the Catholic Church.

According to him, some charismatic leaders “say so many things and most times, they claim they are getting their inspiration from the Holy Spirit or from God.”

He added, “Fr. Mbaka is a popular guy and not like the rest of us and what makes him popular are these prophecies and that is why people are following them. So, I think his Bishop can draw his attention to it.

When asked what the Catholic Church says about visions and prophecies and whether the priest has not been deviating from the Catholic dogma, the CSN scribe said there were better ways of passing across such messages.

He said, “People get messages in visions but if you are talking of the sensitivity of what you are saying, that is the issue. Most times, even when people have the truth, you don’t open your mouth wide. You can be saying something that is true, but there are some ways of passing across that message in a way that it will be acceptable, considering the explosive nature of this country and many other factors.”

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