Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka has publicly apologised to the Catholic Church and the Bishop of the Diocese of Enugu State, Bishop Callistus Onaga, for the unruly behaviour of his supporters in Enugu following rumours of his “disappearance”
While delivering his sermon on Sunday in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, Mbaka asked the bishop of the diocese, Callistus Onaga, to forgive him and his followers for his comments and theirs, which have negatively affected the image of the church.
He also cautioned his followers against violence after some of them broke into the diocesan cathedral on Wednesday when his whereabouts were unknown for some hours.
He said, “I render my sincere, unalloyed apology to the Holy Roman Church and that the mother church should forgive us in any way we didn’t do well. I pray for forgiveness. I am on your behalf kneeling, forgive. What has happened has happened.
“We are to save the image of the church and save the souls. I am here for soul-saving; the church is not my property. I am asking my Lord Bishop Onaga and all the priest to rest the case.
“I have no problem with anybody. I didn’t send anybody to destroy anything. Let us glorify the name of the church. We can’t destroy the church we are protecting. I am happy with the mother church. I can’t leave the Catholic church. May the Lord protect all of you.
“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.”