Anthony Iwuoma
Archbishop Alfred Martins of the Lagos Catholic Archdiocese has denounced one of the priests under his charge over tribal sentiments.
The affected priest, Rev. Fr. James Anelu, who is in charge of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Ewu-Owa Gberigbe in Ikorodu, Lagos, had reportedly banned Igbo songs and choruses in his parish, saying the excesses of Ndigbo must be put in check.
In rather bizarre circumstances, Anelu had angrily stopped a chorus during the second collection, on the grounds that the Igbo cannot keep dominating other people in his parish.
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He cited the case of his Benin Diocese where he claimed that the Igbo dominate to the point of producing the Bishop in person of Akubueze.
Anelu’s unwholesome conduct caused a tumult in the church, as members staged walk out on him during the mass.
He also reportedly claimed that the spirit of God recognised only geographical languages of the parish.
Consequently, irked by the cleric’s apparent tribal leaning, Archbishop Martins, in a letter dated February 7, ordered Anelu to proceed on “an indefinite leave of absence” for misrepresenting the church.
The suspension took effect from Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
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The letter read, “It has been brought to our notice that Rev Fr James Anelu, the priest-in-charge of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Ewu-Owa, Ikorodu, made some completely unacceptable comments about Igbo songs being sung in the Church and unsavoury remarks that do not represent the Catholic church’s position on the common brotherhood of peoples of all tribes and religions.
“For this reason, he has been asked to proceed on an indefinite leave of absence to give an opportunity for a thorough investigation of all the matters relating to his ministry on the parish. The leave of absence takes effect from Tuesday, February 8, 2021, till further notice
“We, therefore, urge all Catholic faithful to hold on to the faith and continue in worship of God as one big family united and not separated by language, culture, or race.”