by Stephen Akuma
[pull_quote_center]“I’m going to suffer because I have no place to put my head. I am going to suffer because I have no place to keep the Adoration ministry’s assets. I know I’m going to suffer.” – Father Ejike Mbaka[/pull_quote_center]
The above statement was made by Fr. Ejike Mbaka during his last mass at Christ the King Parish GRA, Enugu. I have followed Fr. Mbaka’s activities for close to two decades now. I attended his crusade at Makurdi in 2000 and I listen to his music too. “Chideraa” is my favourite.
There is no doubt that Fr Mbaka is a charismatic preacher and he knows almost all the Bible verses by heart.
But, I first began to worry about his tone when he released an audio tape of one of his sermons titled “Wicked Generation”. Some parts of the sermon sounded okay while other parts were certainly not consistent with the doctrines and teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then, I have watched Mbaka’s ministry drifting from conservative Catholicism to Pentecostalism.
Fr. Mbaka has always made news with his political prophesies. His latest, and by far the biggest controversy is the one that involves the Jonathans and Buhari before, during, and after the last presidential elections.
When Nigeria’s former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan visited his parish late 2014, Fr Mbaka prayed for the first lady and anointed her hands with oil and said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) posed no threat to then President Goodluck Jonathan in Enugu.
Mbaka went on to declare that the people of Enugu view the opposition party as the ‘Boko Haram’ party.
Then, Mbaka made a dramatic u-turn at the New Years Eve service in 2014, he retracted his support for the Jonathans and declared his support for Buhari and campaigned for Buhari on the pulpit. He ran down Jonathan, declared his government corrupt, said that Goodluck had turned to bad luck and that God had rejected Jonathan.
Using the Catholic podium to campaign for a political party and candidate is totally wrong and against the Catholic Code of Canon Law (#285). Mbaka’s political sermon was condemned by Cardinal Okogie and Cardinal Onaiyekan at the time.
Recently, Fr Mbaka was transferred to rural parish from highbrow Christ The King Diocese in GRA Enugu. Instead of him to move quietly to his new parish, he went on a media tour, as it were. Mbaka declared that he was being punished and that his transfer was a witch hunt. He complained about his Spartan accommodations in his new parish and also lamented that he was leaving behind the life of comfort in Christ The King Diocese. By so doing, Mbaka allowed politicians to feast on the news of his transfer and make a mountain out of an anthill.
APC, true to character, weighed into the situation, joining other busybodies to condemn the church for Fr Mbaka’s transfer. These politicians turned a religious routine into a political stew, to the charin of many devout Catholics like me.
Let me address some grievances raised by Fr. Mbaka:
• He said he would suffer because his new Parish is a small one and has a small “father’s house”. Fr. Mbaka is a priest and I believe he should mindful of what Christ said in Luke 9:58 “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”. Christ knew what he wanted from his followers, that was why he repeatedly told his disciples that his kingdom is not of this world. Mbaka should understand that he is not different from other priests working in those rural parishes. He needs to recall his vow to priesthood and lean on the example of the missionary priests who left their continent of Europe and resettled in Africa to bring us the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Fr. Mbaka spoke about the assets of his ministry, that he doesn’t know where to keep them. I am really surprised that Fr. Mbaka is talking about assets. Bishop Hassan Kukah setup most parishes we have in Abuja today but he is in a less developed diocese of Sokoto as Bishop. Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Atule Usuh normally transfer any car gift given to them to their seminary school. Even the seminary that Fr. Mbaka attended (free of charge) was built by somebody else. When Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican, he left with no assets and when Pope John Paul died, he left no assets. I wonder if Fr. Mbaka is taking a cue from his superiors.
• Finally, let me advise Fr. Mbaka: The major difference between the Catholic Church and other Churches is that the Catholic Church is not a one-man operation. It is Holy, Apostolate, Universal, and One. So if he feels he can move away and set up his own congregation then he is free to do that. After all, some priests before him left the church to form their ministry/congregation.
Fr. Martin Luther, the father of modern day Pentecostalism left the Catholic Church founded the Lutheran Church and Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, who claims to have the power of healing, also left the mother church to operate as a free agent.
• Fr. Mbaka, your job as a priest is to administer the seven sacraments and not to predict possible political events.
• The Catholic Bishop of Enugu diocese should organise a retreat for Fr Mbaka and remind him of his calling as a priest. I still believe he can still be the Catholic priest we used to know.
Stephen Okuma is a blogger. He owns OkumaStephen’s Views where this article was first published.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
