By Vincent Egunyanga.
Rev Fr James Anelu of Holy Trinity Catholic Church Ewu Owa, Ikorodu in Lagos has opened another fault lines in Nigeria drive to a nationhood, Unity and Progress.
The parishioners sang in Igbo during second collection. He got angry with them for singing in Igbo and warned that they cannot dominate the his parish as they allegedly dominated Benin Archdiocese where they allegedly installed Akubueze as the Archbishop. He even went further to state they the Spirit of God only understand local languages during prayers.
Since then a lot of comments have been made about the Igbo trying to dominate others even in the church. Some of these commentators are ignorant and the priest himself is ignorant of the History and Development of the church he is serving or leading as the case may be. In the light of the above I will strongly recommend some changes in the curriculum of Seminaries in Nigeria to bring it up to date with realities of the present day Nigeria.
Am a Catholioc and I have been a Catholic all my life, and have practiced my Catholic faith in all the Regions of the country. It is the same all over.
Am from Issele Uku, in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta state. Born in Ososa, somewhere in Ijebu Ode Area of Ogun state, grew up in Ibadan, Oyo state, Lived in Lagos for many years. Lived in Anambra and Enugu states. Worked and lived at various times as a Journalist in Katsina, Kano, Benin. Port Harcourt and now in Abuja. Nobody know Nigeria more than me.
In Catholic Church there is no domination of any group over another and there is no attempt by any group to dominate the other.
Christianity came into Nigeria through the British people. They came colonized our people and brought their own way of life and thinking on our people. At the end of the slave trade or the Trans Atlantic Trade many freed slaves were converted into Christianity and went to school in England. They used these freed slaves to spread Christianity into Africa especially those who were able to trace their roots back to Africa.
Through these freed slaves they built churches, schools like the CMS Grammar school, Methodist Boys High School etc both in Lagos. One of such Africans sent to bring Christianity to Nigeria was a Yoruba man known as Samuel Ajayi Crowther. In fact he brought Christianity to Asaba and Igbo hinterland before the coming of the Catholic church in the East.
But as at the time Christianity came to Nigeria, the Yorubas also started the Revolution of African Churches. So the Anglican Church, CMS, BAPTIST, CATHOLIC CHURCH were like engaging in competition with African Churches like the Christ Apostolic Church, Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Celestial Church, Aladura church etc also sprung up. So for some reasons that cannot be explained many Yorubas joined these churches. These African Churches is the foundation of what we have now as Pentecostal churches like Redeemed Christian Church of God , Winners chapel, Mountain of Fire and Miracle, Deeper Life etc.
So the Yorubas virtually abandoned the Catholic Church and others for these Pentecostal and Protestant churches. It is their choice and it is their rights to so do. But nobody should try to blame others who wish to remain in the catholic church.
Coming back to the Catholic church, the church has tried as much as possible to make every part of the country equal. No one group dominating the other. The Church is divided into Provinces. Presently there are 9 Provinces in the country. Yoruba has two and Igbo has two.
The Provinces are LAGOS, IBADAN, BENIN, ONITSHA, OWERRI, ABUJA, KADUNA, CALABAR, JOS PROVINCES.
In all these Provinces there is nowhere outside the South East where masses are said in Igbo Language. Growing up in my primary school in a place called Idi Ayunre about 14 kilometers from Ibadan on the Ibadan\ Ijebu Ode road, I attended St Michaels Catholic church. Masses were said in Yoruba even when majority of the people who were present at mass were Igbos. We enjoyed the masses and were always happy to learn how to follow the mass in Yoruba language. In Ibadan we had white priests that had to learn to say Mass in Yoruba. I remember particularly Rev Fr Phonse Flattley an Irish Priest. All in attempt to bring more Yoruba into the church. IN Lagos I remember Fr Dennis Slattery of St Finbarrs college and parish priest of St Dennis catholic church Bariga tried to say mass in Yoruba to a majority non Yoruba parishioners and we enjoyed the mass.
Only once in a while that choruses, hymns and Praises were done in different languages including Igbo and that cannot go for domination.
A Catholic Priest is always in charge of his parish. He decide what language to use during mass, he decides what language to use during homily, so to insult the Igbo for just singing one igbo song during second collection which in most cases is done after mass show the priest need more training and is not even fit to be a catholic priest.
Secondly why the insult on the Catholic Archbishop of Benin Archdiocese. During ordination a priest take a vow to respect the Bishop. By insulting a Bishop Fr Anelu has violated his vow.
Thirdly he talked about Spirit of God understanding only language of the local community. The Acts of the Apostles made us to understand that when the Apostles of Jesus received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they spoke in different Languages and the people who heard them in their various tribes, Races and places understand them not just the local language spoken in Jerusalem at that time.
The case of Rev Fr James Anelo is an indication that the catholic church deserve pity. It has exposed many poor training of its priests that require urgent attention if the church is to progress and the training of the priests in the Seminary need urgent review.