*Promises to atone for his sins

The clergy and the laity are quite familiar with parable of the prodigal son. Thus, this sounds quite familiar. Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, spiritual director of Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), has apologised to the Catholic church over his recent excesses.

This happened when he delivered his sermon on Sunday, 9 May at Adoration Ground, Enugu. He, according to The Cable, particularly asked his immediate boss, His Lordship, Most Reverend Callistus Onaga, bishop of Enugu diocese, to forgive him and his followers for their actions which have rubbed off negatively on the church.

According to Mabaka: “I can’t disobey the church — who am I? How can somebody who has been serving the church for 25 years come out to begin to fight the same church. Everything in my life is for the church,” he said in the sermon monitored by The Cable.

“In all honesty, Father Mbaka here has no problem with the church. I don’t have any problem with my bishop; people want to achieve it but they cannot allow it. Because I have something in me that will conquer all this problem — the gift of humility and the obedience of the church.”

“I never knew that even a glass was broken. What I was praising you for was not for what was destroyed, but for your ability to search for your missing pastor,” he said.

“There was a lot of mixed information. The devil entered the story; the church did not kidnap me.

“I wish to apologise for whoever that misunderstood my statement. I did not clap for anybody for destroying anything. I heard that the search for Father Mbaka was hijacked; people joined and started breaking things.

“I am here standing on your behalf and I render my sincere, unalloyed apologies to the Holy Catholic church where I belong, and say, may the mother church forgive us in any way we didn’t do it well.

“Even in all that I said, where I didn’t say it well, I pray for forgiveness. I am on your (the worshippers) behalf, kneeling down for the church and I tell the church, forgive.”

“We are to save the image and face of the church, and the souls of the children of God. I am here for soul-saving, the church is not my property because I belong to the church.”