The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Calistus Onaga has imposed a ban on Rev. Fr. Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry.
This is coming on the heels of Mbaka’s outburst against a Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
The priest had declared that Obi, who he described as “a stingy man”, would never rule Nigeria.
This did not go down well with many Nigerians, who demanded that appropriate sanctions should be meted on him.
In a letter he personally signed, addressed to ‘All the Clery, Religious and Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu’, Bishop Onaga has now banned them from having anything to do with the Adoration Ministry.
He said in the letter that, “in the light of the happenings in the Catholic Adoration Ministry Chaplaincy Enugu, capable of undermining the Catholic faith and teachings and after several fraternal corrections and admonitions to Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka, the Chaplain of the Ministry and after having given him pastoral directives and guidelines for the Ministry Chaplaincy, which he persistently violated and in fulfilment of my pastoral duties as the Chief Shepherd with the obligation to promote and safeguard the Catholic faith and morals in Enugu Diocese, 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.
“My decision is based on the fact that some of the teachings and utterances of Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka at the Catholic Adoration Ministry are not consistent with the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church.”
Bishop Onaga enjoined “all Christian faithful to keep praying for Fr. Mbaka.”
The Diocesan authority had last year, after placing his activities on hold for a month, also converted the adoration ministry to chaplaincy. He was then asked to keep off politics.
But he quickly maintained that no one could stop him from speaking.
“Those who think Mbaka will be quiet, you are wasting your time,” he had said last year in reaction to the ban placed on him from commenting on political activities.
