Members of the Catholic Church in Nnewi Diocese, Anambra State have protested the sack of Holy Ghost Priests by Bishop in the area.

The protesters marched through Saint Martin’s Catholic Church Ihiala and along the roads with chaplets, protesting what they described as draconian decision by the Bishop.

The Bishop of Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State , Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye, asked the Holy Ghost Priests to leave the area allegedly to bring his people.

The Holy Ghost Fathers had been in charge of the St Martin’s Church for over 100 years.

During their stay, they established many churches and schools, including the popular Holy Ghost Juniorate Seminary, Ihiala and some universities in parts of the country.

The Nation, 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.

When The Nation called Rev Father Tobenna Onwudiwe, the Diocesan Director of Communications, his line was switched off.

However, the Bishop was 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 had, however, agreed to leave the Juniorate Seminary, Ihiala and the Spiritan Farms, Okija for the Holy Ghost Fathers.

The Holy Ghost Fathers had, 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 ,said the people of Ihiala had written the Bishop to shelve the idea to sack the priests, regretting that he refused to act on their letter.

Speaking 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 Catholic Church members .

“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(Congregation) 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 perpetuity and definitive way, which meant that there was a contract between two parties.

“We are aware that Holy Ghost Fathers are missionary priests, that does not mean that they should not have a base.

“When you talk about Ihiala, what first comes to mind is our Lady of Lourdes Hospital established by the Holy Ghost Fathers. The Holy Ghost Juniorate is also their brainchild.

“We have written to the Bishop and he doesn’t want to reply our letter. Rather he made an unscheduled visit to St. Martin’s and told the people around that he could no longer retain the Holy Ghost Priests there because he has no place to send his Diocesan Priests.

“Our question is, are these Holy Ghost Fathers not Catholic Priests? That is why we decided to do a procession around the church to drive home our objection to the sack,” Chukwu said. (The Nation)

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