CHURCH OF NIGERIA(ANGLICAN COMMUNION) CALLS FOR CALM.
–Urges respect for due process in the ongoing proceedings.
By Innocent Osuoha.
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has called on its clergy, laity and the general public to remain calm and allow the present ongoing ecclesiastical and judicial imbroglio and processes to run their proper course.
The call is coming on the heels of recent public statements and court actions concerning decisions taken by the Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, the Most Rev’d Dr Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, in the exercise of his ecclesiastical and supervisory responsibilities.
In a Press Statement it released, the Church, through its General Secretary, the Ven. Dr. Festus Opara, assured its members that the actions now before the courts were not taken lightly adding that its commitment to discipline and order is not at variance with the Christian virtues of patience, forgiveness, reconciliation and justice.
The release restated that the decisions followed a prolonged period of enquiry into concerns relating to ecclesiastical authority, accountability and compliance with established Church procedures just as efforts were also made to resolve the disagreements through conciliatory engagement.
The church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion insists that peace must go hand in hand with accountability, mutual respect and canonical order while reconciliation which remained an essential Christian obligation, must be pursued within the framework of the Church’s Constitution, Canons and established procedures.
According to the release, the Primate like every other Church leader, remains subject to the Constitution, Canons and established processes of the Church which is the reason the present matter must therefore be addressed through the appropriate institutional and judicial channels, with due regard for fairness, restraint and the rule of law.
It then urged all Anglican faithful to remain prayerful, steadfast and united, and not to be drawn into speculation or unwholesome public exchanges.
The release equally respectfully appealed to members of the public and the media to exercise restraint as the matter is before the appropriate bodies.
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