The Catholic church has banned the spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka from commenting on partisan politics.
This was contained in a letter dated June 3 addressed to Fr.Mbaka from the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Dioceses Callistus Onaga.
TheFact Nigeria recalled that Mbaka had called for the resignation or impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari following the worsening insecurity in the country in which the presidency replied saying the cleric was angry because the president did not give his contracts as requested.
However Mbaka admitted that he discussed contracts with the president but that the contracts were for some foreigners who said the had solutions to the insecurity bedeviling the country.
The temporary disappearance of the clergy man resulted in a violent protest by adorers who stormed the bishop’s house demanding for the release of Mbaka in which properties belonging to the church were destroyed in the process.
The Catholic church however declared a week of prayer of restitution following the incident just as the spiritual director of adoration ministry tendered and open apology to the church.
The directives were announced just as Mbaka is set to resume activities of the ministry which was suspended following his one-month private retreat.
The letter contains the diocesan directives and guidelines for the conduct of the adoration ministry.
According to the letter, the Adoration ministry ground has been converted to chaplaincy .
Unlike in the past where Mbaka solely oversees the activities of the ministry as its spiritual director, making it chaplaincy brings it under the control of the Enugu diocese and gives the bishop the power to appoint a chaplain to oversee its operations.
Although the bishop said Mbaka still leads the chaplaincy, he added that he (bishop) can appoint any ministerial officer “to assist the chaplains to oversee the pastoral activities of the ministry.”
“There shall be no partisan politics either by way of active engagement or by prophetic naming of candidates for position of power,” he said.
