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More tension in Catholic as Bishop sacks Holy Ghost Fathers in Nnewi

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Tension is mounting in the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State following the decision of the Bishop, Most Reverend Jonas Benson Okoye to sack Holy Ghost Fathers residing at St Martin’s de Poures Catholic Church, Ihiala.

The Holy Ghost Fathers have been in charge of the St Martin’s Church for over 100 years, during which they established many churches and schools, including the popular Holy Ghost Juniorate Seminary, Ihiala and some universities in parts of the country.

It was gathered that the Bishop, at a recent meeting with priests in the Diocese, announced postings during which his Diocesan priests were posted to St Martin’s, Ihiala.

He was also said to have informed the Holy Ghost Fathers and members of the parish council that the Holy Ghost Fathers should leave the place immediately.

The Bishop has, however, agreed to leave the Juniorate Seminary, Ihiala and the Spiritual Farmers, Okija for the Holy Ghost Fathers.

The Holy Ghost Fathers have, however, said they would not leave because it was not the Bishop that gave them the parish.

Worried by the development in the area, some concerned citizens of Ihiala and other parishioners organized a protest around the church and faulted the decision of the Bishop to sack the Holy Ghost Fathers from Ihiala.

Secretary of the Coordinating Committee of the Concerned Ihiala Citizens, Mr. Nonye Chukwu Secretary said the people of Ihiala have written the Bishop to shelve the idea to sack the priests, regretting that he refused to act on their letter.

In an interview with reporters in Awka, Chukwu said: “We are having a problem with our Bishop, He issued an order that Holy Ghost Fathers who stay at St. Martins should pack out and that he doesn’t want them in Ihiala any more. This didn’t go down well with Ihiala Catholics.

“These Holy Ghost fathers have become endangered species. Immediately after the Nigerian civil war, the then government alleged that they were responsible for prolonging the war and then sacked them from Eastern Nigeria.

“Those of them who were foreigners left, while the Indigenous ones continued their missionary work up till now and they are the ones Bishop wants to sack.

“Where does he want them to go to? We have every reason to say no irrespective of the fact that he has all the powers on earth as Bishop.

“These Holy Ghost priests sustained our people during the war as some of them were even emergency pilots who brought relief materials to the war ravaged areas of the country”.

Chukwu recalled that as far back as 1962, the late Bishop Charles Henry of Onitsha Archdiocese gave out St. Martins to the Holy Ghost Congregation in pepertuity and definitive way, which means that there was a contract between two parties.

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You return to square one if you don’t pay tithe, says Becky Enenche

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Becky Enenche, the wife of Paul Enenche, senior pastor of Dunamis International gospel Centre (DIGC), has stressed the significance of consistent tithe payment.

In an undated video circulating on social media, Becky advised Christians to constantly pay their tithe, which she refers to as “returning God’s portion”.

The clergywoman also warned that whenever a Christian fails to pay their tithe, they go “back to square one”.

Enenche also likened tithe defaulters to someone who typed a long text and mistakenly pressed the delete button.

“Paying your tithe, paying your tithe, returning God’s portion must be done consistently. Every time you miss your tithe, you go back to square one. The ones you did before become nullified,” she said.

“It is like you pressed a delete button, gbam. And all the work you did before is gone. Have you ever been typing and somebody entered the room or something mistakenly? You have typed enough text.

“The content of what you’ve typed is sufficient and you are not saving as you were typing and suddenly you press delete. You can imagine how that feels. Now what more of such a thing as your tithe.”

https://twitter.com/ChuksEricE/status/1857865926068019309?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1857865926068019309%7Ctwgr%5Ea0fe21df47634feab7fb9aa5a8c6079c7dfff01d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.thecable.ng%2Ftrending-video-you-return-to-square-one-if-you-dont-pay-tithe-says-becky-enenche%2F

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Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over child abuse allegations linked to Church of England

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Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned following the publication of the Makin Review, which exposed the Church of England’s mishandling of historic abuse allegations involving John Smyth.

In a heartfelt statement on Tuesday, Welby acknowledged the extent of the church’s failures in responding to the abuse and expressed regret over the delayed response to survivors of Smyth’s crimes.

Welby stressed the importance of institutional responsibility and expressed sorrow for the victims and survivors of abuse, emphasising his commitment to creating a safer environment within the church.

“The Makin Review has exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth,” Welby said.

“When I was informed in 2013 and told that police had been notified, I believed wrongly that an appropriate resolution would follow.

“It is very clear that I must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and retraumatising period between 2013 and 2024.

“It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.

“I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church.”

Welby noted his efforts to implement improvements in safeguarding over the last twelve years.

“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” he said.

“For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.”

Welby expressed his commitment to his faith, stating that stepping aside was “in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honoured to serve”.

“My deepest commitment is to the person of Jesus Christ, my saviour and my God; the bearer of the sins and burdens of the world, and the hope of every person,” he added.

Welby said he would continue his work with victims of abuse, delegating his other responsibilities until a proper risk assessment process is completed.

He also requested prayers for his family, who have been a constant source of support during his ministry.

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Archbishop of Canterbury asked to resign over child abuse allegations linked to Church of England

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Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been asked to resign over his failure to rigorously follow up on reports of child abuse linked to the Church of England.

On Thursday, a report revealed that “horrific” and violent abuse of more than 100 children and young men by John Smyth QC, a British barrister, was covered up within the Church of England for decades.

The report followed an independent review by the archbishops’ council of the Church of England.

Smyth QC, who died aged 77 in Cape Town in 2018, was accused of attacking boys at his home in Winchester who he had met at a Christian summer camp in Dorset during the 1970s and 1980s.

He was said to have carried out lashings with a garden cane in his shed with eight boys receiving a total of 14,000 lashes, while two more received 8,000 strokes between them over three years.

Smyth QC is believed to be the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.

The report said Welby did not follow up rigorously enough on reports of Smyth QC’s “abhorrent” abuse, adding that he “could and should” have reported the case to authorities when details were presented to him in 2013.

It also said he might have been brought to justice for decades of abuse before his death in 2018 had he been formally reported to authorities in 2013.

Three members of the Church’s parliament – the general synod – have started a petition calling for Welby to resign over his “failures” to report Smyth’s abuse

Helen-Ann Hartley, bishop of Newcastle, has also called for his resignation.

She is the most senior member of the Church to call on Welby to step down.

Hartley said it would be hard for the Church to “continue to have a moral voice” when “we cannot get our own house in order with regard to something as critically important”.

“It’s very hard to find the words to respond adequately to what the report tells us,” Bishop Hartley told the BBC.

“I think rightly people are asking the question ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘no’.”

She said while Welby’s resignation would not “solve the safeguarding problem,” it would “be a very clear indication that a line has been drawn, and that we must move towards independence of safeguarding”.

In a statement, Welby said he was “deeply sorry that this abuse happened” and “sorry that concealment by many people who were fully aware of the abuse over many years meant that John Smyth was able to abuse overseas and died before he ever faced justice”.

“I had no idea or suspicion of this abuse before 2013,” he said.

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