Fiery Enugu Catholic Priest, Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, has apologised to the Catholic church over the attack and destruction of the Enugu Catholic Diocese Bishop’s Court and Holy Ghost Cathedral in Enugu.
Mbaka, who is the spiritual director of Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), rendered the apology while delivering his sermon on Sunday at Adoration Ground in Emene.
He maintained the church didn’t kidnap him and apologised to whoever misunderstood his first statement when he reappeared at New Haven.
He said he was misquoted in the first statement by people who want to cause problem between him and the church.
The priest said the protest was hijacked by some hoodlums who capitalised on the protest to unleash mayhem on the church.
“I wish to apologise to whoever that misunderstood my statement at New Haven. I didn’t clap for anybody for destroying anything.
“I am here standing on your behalf and I render my sincere unalloyed apologies to the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church where I belong and say may the mother church forgive us in anyway we didn’t do it well even in all that I said, where I didn’t say it well, we pray for their forgiveness.
“I am on your behalf, kneeling down for the church and I say may the church forgive. What has happened has happened we are to save the image of the church and the face of the church and the souls of the son of God we cannot lose my soul because of what has happened,” he stated.
He alleged that the search by his members was hijacked.
“People started going in and breaking things both Igbos, Hausas and Yorubs, Catholics and non Catholics.
“The church is not my property I belong to the church so I am asking my lord Bishop Onaga and all the priests of Enugu diocese and for everybody to rest the case.”
He assured that he will join the prayer of reparation called by the Bishop as he didn’t send anybody to destroy anything.
“The prayer of reparation we will join, I didn’t send anybody to destroy anything I have no problem with anybody and I can’t disobey the church — who am I? How can somebody who has been serving the church for 25 years come out to begin to fight the same church,” he added.
Mbaka, who condemned the destruction of properties at the Bishop’s Court, said he was not aware that anything was destroyed.
He maintained that his statement praising the parishioners was because of their quest to look for their missing priest.
“What I was praising you for was not for anything destroyed. I was praising you for your ability to search for your missing pastor,” Mbaka added.
He also enjoined them to look for any priest that goes missing in Nigeria because “we are sharing in one priesthood of Christ Jesus.
The priest said his parishioners prevented the hoodlums from destroying the Blessed Sacrament in the Cathedral and also burning down the Bishop’s Court.
“I thank God nobody died. One person was said to have poured himself fuel and started pouring it round the Bishop’s Court and wanted to light himself up with the house, is that not another type of suicide bomber.
“But the adoration people beat the hell out of him. And some other wanters to destroy the sanctimum and the grotto but the Adoration members block them and started praying”, he said
He said the parishioners will agree on a day to go in their large numbers to the Bishop and apologise to him.
It will be recalled that following the media spat between Mbaka and the Presidency last week, the priest was summoned last Tuesday by the Bishop of the Diocese.
24 hours later, information on social media went viral that the priest was missing.
His parishioners thereafter embarked on a protest to the Bishop’s Court where they allegedly destroyed properties within the premises.
They were also said to have destroyed properties at the Holy Ghost Cathedral before he later appeared and took them away to New Haven where he addressed them.
Addressing the parishioners, he said he was denied access to his phones and ordered to proceed on one month suspension.
He also alleged that the diocesan leadership wanted to close down the Adoration ministry.
Following the attack, the Bishop, Callistus Onaga declared a one week prayer for reparation over the incident.
Source: The Nation
