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No blessing for same-sex unions, say Catholic bishops

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3 months ago

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The Catholic Bishops of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Lagos Archdiocese, Ijebu Ode, and Abeokuta Dioceses, have said they would not bless same-sex marriage.

The bishops’ position was contained in a Thursday’s communiqué issued after their January 26 plenary meeting in Lagos.

This position is believed to contravene Pope Francis, who formally permitted Catholic priests to bless same-sex unions, which had been argued to have violated the Catholic Church doctrine.

In the Catholic Church, a blessing is a prayer or plea, usually delivered by a minister, asking God to look favourably at the person(s) being blessed.

Speaking through the communique, signed by their chairman and secretary, Archbishop of Lagos and Bishop of Ijebu-Ode, Most Rev Alfred Martins, and Most Rev Francis Adesina, respectively, the bishops declared: “No to blessing of same-sex unions.”

They said they were in “total agreement with the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria and that of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar concerning the blessing of homosexual unions or same-sex couples.”

“We affirm that the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage as the union of a man and a woman in a stable and exclusive relationship, open to bearing children, remains the same. We also affirm the Church’s teaching on human sexuality and urge the faithful to be guided by it,” they said.

The Vatican had earlier in 2021 decreed that the Catholic Church would not bless gay marriages because God “cannot bless sin”.

However, there was a twist in 2023 when Francis hinted that he would be open to having the Catholic Church bless same-sex unions.

Meanwhile, a cleric based in Jos, Plateau State, Dr Isa El-Buba, has called on President Bola Tinubu to address the current hunger crisis facing Nigerians before the situation gets out of hand and snowballs into an implosion.

El-Buba, who is the Convener of a Better and Brighter Nigeria, made the call in a statement in Jos on Thursday.

He lamented the high cost of food and other items in the country had continued to rise on a daily basis without anything being done by the government to arrest the trend.

 “Despite the ‘state of emergency on food security’, efforts to curb rising food prices have not yielded results. A foreign exchange rate is rapidly turning the naira into a currency that is not worth the paper on which it is printed.

“The government should release grains from its strategic reserve depots and ensure the grains get to hungry Nigerians at affordable prices, as it crashes the astronomic costs of grains in the market. Previous releases have not reached the majority of poor Nigerians,” he said.

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Religion

“You will end in destruction” – Bishop Oyedepo issues warning to Yahoo Boys

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1 day ago

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May 1, 2024 10:32 am

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Nigerian clergyman and founder of Living Faith Church otherwise known as Winners Chapel, has issued a warning to Yahoo boys.

The popular clergyman, during a sermon on Sunday, April 28th, said that internet fraudsters, who are famously known as Yahoo boys, are living in a very fast lane which would end in bitterness and destruction.

He stated that nobody playing games has a future in the Kingdom as he admonished them to desist from it. He noted how there is a law to mind which is the law of sowing and reaping, the law of seedtime and harvest, and the law of giving and receiving.

Bishop Oyedepo in his final message told them to engage in the law cheerfully and should watch how they will begin to lay up gold with time.

He said: “Nobody playing games has a future in the kingdom. Hear this and hear it forever. If that is your trade, stop it.

Yahoo Yahoo business, stop it. Grabbing people’s ATM card details, stop it! You are on a very fast lane that always ends in bitterness and d£§truction.

There is the law to mind. The law of sowing and reaping. The law of seedtime and harvest. The law of giving and receiving that is the law.

Engage with that law cheerfully. Engage with that law willingly. Engage with that law tirelessly and watch how you begin to lay up gold with time.”

Sometimes back, Bishop David Oyedepo had made headlines when he banned earphones and others in his church, describing them as devil’s tools.

According to Man of God, youths with earphones are not ready to hear God’s words, hence they should not be allowed into the church.

He had also warned married couples on the dangers of not having a good sex life. He averred that a sex-starved marriage is heading for destruction.

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Drama as pastor Paul Enenche confronts lady for sharing fake testimony (Video)

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2 weeks ago

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April 15, 2024 12:33 pm

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Paul Enenche, the senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), on Sunday, called out a woman for sharing what he claimed to be a “false testimony”.

A short video from the DIGC’s service went viral on social media wherein he confronted the woman during her testimony.

The lady had taken to the altar to testify how she became the first graduate in her family. She also thanked God for making it possible for her to graduate with a “Law degree from the National Open University Of Nigeria (NOUN)”.

She recounted how some spiritual forces prevented her and her siblings from attending universities and how she overcame them.

Enenche, however, asked the lady what degree she graduated with and she said “Law”. The clergyman thereafter inquired to know what kind of “Law degree”, to which the lady answered “BSc in Law”.

The cleric immediately pointed out that there is no such thing as a “BSc in law” — casting doubt on her testimony.

“Your testimony is a lie. There is nothing like a BSc in Law. Please go back to your seat. Bsc in Law. Is that how lawyers speak English?” the cleric asked rhetorically.

“Please, anybody who comes to this altar to share a testimony that is not true, you do it at the risk of yourself.

“We are not playing here. We are not faking anything here.”

The video has been widely circulated on social media platforms, with users airing their different opinions.

NOUN held its 13th convocation on Saturday. The convocation ceremony saw 22,175 students graduate across NOUN’s 120 study centres in Nigeria.

Of the graduates, 15,768 received their undergraduate degrees, while 6,407 were awarded postgraduate certificates.

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Religion

FG approves Thursday as additional public holiday for Eid-el-Fitr

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3 weeks ago

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April 9, 2024 8:34 am

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The federal government has approved Thursday April 11 as an additional public holiday for this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

Aishetu Ndayako, permanent secretary in the ministry of interior, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

On April 7, the federal government had declared Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays for the Muslim celebration.

Shortly afterwards however, Muhammad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, declared Wednesday as the first day of Shawwal 1445AH, adding that there was no sighting of the new moon on Monday.

In the new statement, Ndayako quoted Tunji Ojo, minister of interior, as congratulating the “Muslim Ummah for a successful completion of a month of spiritual rejuvenation”, while “reiterating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s (GCFR) firm commitment to providing a safe and prosperous Nigeria for all to thrive”.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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