The Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Ewu-Owa
Gberigbe in Ikorodu, Lagos, Rev. Fr. James Anelu, has been “suspended” for
banning Igbo songs and choruses in his parish.
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Martins, in a
“disclaimer”, directed the priest to proceed on “an indefinite leave of
absence”.
Anelu was reported to have banned Igbo songs and choruses in
his parish, arguing that the excesses of Ndigbo must be contained.
It was learnt that he had angrily stopped a soul-lifting chorus during the second collection, noting that Igbos cannot keep dominating other people in his Catholic parish.
He reportedly cited the case of his Benin Diocese where
Igbos dominate to the point of becoming the Bishop, allegedly claiming that the
spirit of God recognises only geographical languages of the parish.
While announcing the suspension, Martins, in the letter
dated February 7, said, “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.”
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