The battle for the control of St Martin of Tours Parish, Ihiala between the embattled Holy Ghost Fathers and Nnewi Diocese is gaining more fire power, with the pensioners urging the Diocese yesterday not to use the Canon law to inflict pains on fellow Catholics.

The parishioners, apparently reacting on the position of the Diocese that it is enforcing the amended Canon Law of 1983 which gives unlimited powers to the Bishop in running the Diocese, said everyone is involved in the mission of evangelism, adding that Vatican 11 had made the church the property of all and not for the clergy alone.

In a statement made available to reporters yesterday, the coordinating secretary of the parishioners, Mr. Nonye Chukwu said: “The laws being quoted may be serving its purpose, but the Bishop and his defender clergies have failed to address the basic issues.

” The questions we are asking are: Is it pastoral or evangelical to dislodge host priests and make them homeless? Is it right to chase away one pastor and bring in another in his place? Is one anointing better and greater than the other in winning souls for Christ?

“If the Bishop said the whole idea is to bring in his own priests, whose priests are the ones being chased away? Is it in conformity with Christ’s golden rule of love your neighbour as yourself? And do we now have a division in the Lord’s vineyard?”

The parishioners also reacted on the issue of creation of new parishes out of St Martin of Tours, arguing that the Diocesan Bishop has not even paid a pastoral visit to the parish since his appointment as Bishop of Nnewi Diocese to enable him understand the local problems.

“In our letter to him, we advised that he should tarry a bit and conduct some investigations that will guide him. This advice was ignored and instead, he chose to do it by force”.

According to them, 13 parishes had so far been created out of St Martin’s, stressing that neither the Holy Ghost Fathers, nor the parishioners objected the exercise.

On the controversial land dispute between the church and the donors, they said: “The Spiritan Fathers never refused to pay what they were asked to pay, but the prevailing circumstances was not conducive for such.

“Thank God it was not hurriedly paid because new facts about the tenement have emerged and the Bishop and his priests would have found themselves in a quagmire.”

They also argued that it would not have been proper for them to keep quiet about what the Diocese is doing to the Immaculate Heart Sisters in the area, lamenting that two buildings were hurriedly built inside their convent for priests and male nurses after relieving the Sisters of their positions at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, thereby undermining their privacy.

They stated that they have already written the Papal Nuncio in Nigeria about the happenings in Ihiala, adding that they are anxiously waiting for his response. (Sunday Vanguard)

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