Enugu Bishop bans Catholics from attending Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry

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

This is coming following Mbaka’s recent vituperation against the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.

Mbaka had during his mid-week prayer activities declared that Peter Obi, “a stingy man”, could not be Nigeria’s president. He also said that he was “cursed.”

Shortly after, the Catholic Diocese of Enugu disassociated from the utterances, noting that Mbaka’s attack on Obi breached Canon 220 of 1983 Code of the Canon Law that prohibited anyone from illegitimately harming the good name of a person.

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In a letter Bishop Onaga personally signed, which was addressed to ‘All the Clery, Religious and Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu’, he banned them 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.” Punch