. . . Accuses Catholic Church of materialism

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called for the scrapping of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Intersociety maintained that CAN has lost its focus as Satanism, immorality and Judases have taken over Christendom in Nigeria.

“Intersociety is deeply worried, sad and dismayed that ‘Satanism, Immorality and Judases’ are now in control of the House of Christ in Nigeria. Satanism or opposite of the teachings and noble ways of life of Jesus Christ is now leading the way in Christendom and their affairs in Nigeria; same goes to immorality which is now a common salutation among the clergies and the laities,” the group said in a statement endorsed by group’s Principal Officers: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chidimma Udegbunam, Esquire and Ndidiamaka Bernard, Esquire.

According to Intersociety: “Judases have also become General Overseers, Bishops, Vicars/Parish Priests and Resident/Host Pastors; brainwashing and demonizing their members so as to hoodwink them into coughing out millions or billions for building paradises on Earth.

“The Holy Bible and its sacred verses have been demonically twisted and monetized by church leaders. Human miseries arising from public governance failures and personal tragedies and misfortunes have also become money making ventures for the Judases in the House of Christ and God.

“As a matter of fact, Christianity in Nigeria is now dominated by pretenders who falsely proclaim and falsely love God and Godliness in the open but despise, hate and mock them in secret.”

Particularly, the group took a swipe at the Catholic Church, alleging that “not even sanctification and purification sanctuaries, including Catholic Monasteries, have been spared as they are brazenly and mindlessly defiled and desecrated.”

Intersociety went further to state that: “Today, Bishops’ Conferences have been hijacked, politicized and monetized by corrupt and immoral politicians. During such conferences, politicians jostle to take care of the Bishops’ bills including quartering them in their palatial residences or state-of-art properties procured with stolen public funds or keeping them in expensive hotels, feeding them and having their flight tickets paid fully, etc. Such politicians are usually rewarded with favorable and watery communiqués or issuance of image laundering statements or watering down of issues critical of the sitting Government or key appointees and other politicians.

“Our constant monitoring of churches and their leaders in the country particularly in Eastern Nigeria has clearly indicated that the growth and development of churches are nothing to write home about. As a matter of fact, they have been very abysmal especially since 2015. In other words, many, if not most of the church leaders have grossly derailed and incurably deviated; abandoning the defense of faith and protection and safety of the vulnerable and defenseless faith members.

“There has also been little or zero impartation of morals on faith members and reprimanding of immoral others. Before the very eyes of vulnerable and defense faith members, their leaders including the so called “powerful preachers” dot themselves with bullet-proof vests and move with long convoys of sophisticated armed security bodyguards; only to turn around and brainwash their lay members into believing that they are invincible and beyond human destruction.

“In all, they have wreaked havocs on families and afflicted them with irreconcilable differences, divisions and untimely deaths. They have also pitched parents against parents, siblings against siblings, kindred against kindred, clans against clans and visited unspeakable violence and destructions upon ancient trees and benevolent sacred altars and symbols of worship and traditional institutions.

“The twists and turns in the Christendom of today’s Nigeria have also forced and are still forcing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, out of the Christendom in preference for traditional religious practices and atheism.

“Intersocietyhereby renews its earlier call for scrapping and replacement of the Christian Association of Nigeria-CAN. CAN, apart from overstaying its welcome and usefulness having long been heavily infiltrated and compromised by jihad enablers and other inter-faith intolerant forces will continue to supervise the degradation, humiliation and under-growth of Christianity in Nigeria, until it is scrapped and replaced.

“The days of CAN in Nigeria or any part thereof are therefore over and must be replaced with a purposeful and focused new central Christian body whose leaders are not capable of being compromised, misled and intimidated.

“Our investigative checks have clearly shown that in the past twelve years under CAN or between 2009 and 2021, the growth and security and safety of Christianity and their Faith Members as well as their sacred places of worship and learning have fallen from bad to worse, if not worst-with Christianity and Christians almost totally overrun in the Northeast, Northwest and North-central.

“This is to the extent that their clergies now almost minister empty church buildings. Christianity and Christians under CAN have also faced grisly and egregious threats of persecution, extermination and destruction in the Rainforest Regions of the Southwest, South-south and Southeast.”

The group equally took another swipe at the Catholic Church, calling for a new World Vatican Council.

Intersociety said in its statement: “Finally, the time has also come and long overdue for a new World Vatican Council under the leadership of the Catholic Church and Pope Francis. It must be stated that one of the wisest decisions ever taken by the Catholic Church was the institution of the “Vatican Council” with the last being :the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican” held on 11^thOct 1962 to Dec 8, 1965” in the Vatican City.

“The ‘Second Vatican Council’ was declared open in Oct 1962 by Pope John XXVIII and closed on Dec 8, 1965 by Pope Paul V1 and it was also the 21 Vatican Councils in the row since 325AD First Council of Nicaea. Apart from Sixteen Magisterial Documents produced by the Second Vatican Council, extensive reforms were done on: liturgy, theology of the Church, revelation, laity, a new approach between the church and the world, ecumenism, issues bordering on non-Christian religions and religious freedom, etc.

“In addition to calling for review of all of the above in the new Vatican Council (22^ndVatican Council) being demanded,Intersocietyis strongly but persuasively calling on the Church to critically look into issues of church clergies and ministration/materialism; defense of faith and protection and safety of faith members and Christian sacred centers of worship and learning; laity/clergy and immorality and inter-faith and intra faith evangelism, etc.”