BY VALENTINE OBIENYEM
Today, I posted a billboard I consider as un-Catholic, which I have re-posted here.
In my initial post, I stated thus: “This is unacceptable! Please, we will not accept appropriating the name or image of the Pope, the representative of Christ on earth, into some of the spiritual abracadabra we are yet to understand.”
As usual, I anticipated attacks from people who often criticise what they do not understand. I saw them at work again and confronted them with my usual weapon of ignoring them. Who has time to start arguing with men whose senses of reasoning are beclouded by primordial sentiments?
However, I have, in a rare resolve to go contrary to my disposition decided to answer Mr. Gab Ekwenta’s reply to my post.
Gab Ekwenta: I am really worried the way my friend Val continue to make unnecessary adverts for Fr. Ejike Mbaka thinking he is getting his pound of flesh.
VAL: I said the billbord was unacceptable, but rather than ask me what informed my position, Mr. Gab said it was a way of “getting my pound of flesh.” Pound of flesh for what? Am I in any way at war with Mbaka? When I criticise some of the things he does, it is simply because they are un-Catholic. How does raising such objections amount to adverts?
Gab Ekwenta: I am not a fan of my brother in the flesh, Mbaka, from the time he started making prophecies that are better described as vindictive.
It is the spiritual ignorants that take those words as prophecies. But my worry is that Val started abusing and attacking Mbaka from the Adoration Ground campaign episode involving Mr. (Peter) Obi
VAL: This is pure lie. The first serious objection I openly raised against Fr. Mbaka was when he took on the Church for appointing an Anambra man as the Bishop of Ahiara. I pointed out how such a position would weaken the Church in future and question her universality.
Gab Ekwenta: Very regrettable episode, which in my opinion, Mr. Obi parried with utmost maturity and grace while it further exposed Mbaka’s worldly desires.
VAL: Nothing regrettable about it. It only rightly confirmed some people’s opinion about some preachers of the gospel.
Gab Ekwenta: But the continuous attacks and innuendoes from Val against Mbaka in my opinion is immature.
VAL: Val opinion being immature is your own opinion. What if Val’s opinion about your reply is to consider it as a trash coming from a sick mind?
Gab Ekwenta: It keeps refreshing in our mind the Obi- Mbaka encounter, an experience those of us who respect Mr. Obi wish never happened and would prefer to forget but his political opponents celebrated and would continue to relish.
VAL: You are not being insincere. Obi came out of that encounter triumphant. It was good it happened because it offers Nigerians further insight into Obi’s strength of character.
Gab Ekwenta: By always responding to Mbaka, you refresh in our minds that Adoration Ground incident and unwittingly help political opponents of your principal to refresh a point that is better forgotten.
VAL: So because of what happened, if Fr. Mbaka denigrates the Catholic Church I should keep quiet?
Gab Ekwenta: My advice is just forgive Mbaka for this incident with Mr. Obi and let him continue to practise his “abracadabra” and ‘biz Centre” (according to Val) which he had been practising without condemnation from Val until that botched attempt by Val’s political group to take advantage of it.
VAL: forgive him for what?
Gab Ekwenta: Let it not be a case of the proverbial Agulu woman who, when she did not receive the goat meat turned around and said that goat meat is full of sand!!
VAL: Medical doctors and lawyers are prohibited from advert to maintain the dignity of their professions. Each organisation has its ethics and I am sure you do not know anything about the tenets of Catholicism. Just get it today that much as the Catholic Church believes in miracles, she does not support advertising miracles otherwise you reduce her to Odumeje’s “Church.”
•Source: Facebook
