Cardinal Okogie reacts to Fr Mbaka's recent outburst, saysMbaka was under the influence of another spirit

Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, the retired Archbishop of
Lagos state has reacted to the recent statements made by Fr.
Ejike Mbaka on President Jonathan's led administration. In an
interview with Vanguard, Cardinal Okogie said the statements
made by Fr Mbaka were abnormal and certainly not one
influenced by God's spirit but by another spirit. According to
the respected clergyman, Mbaka's attitude is unbecoming. He
says if he had his way he would have closed down the Enugu
diocese as Fr. Mbaka has repeatedly been involved in
controversial things which the leadership of the diocese has
not deemed fit to call him to order. Excerpts of his interview
after the cut...
How do you see the statement credited to Rev. Father Ejike
Mbaka?
Any serious priest will not speak the way he spoke. I am not
saying that he is not serious. I will not agree with the things
he said. According to what I read in the newspapers, a few
weeks earlier, the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, visited
his Adoration Ground in Enugu and he prayed for her. At that
occasion, he was said to have lambasted the opposition
party, APC, and now to turn around overnight and start
lambasting President Goodluck Jonathan shows that there is
something wrong somewhere.
Personally, I felt bad because it is not the place of a priest to
go to that extent. He can have his personal opinion, but to go
to the extent that he went is abnormal. I want you to know
that he wasn’t speaking for the church. He said he was
moved by the spirit, and I wonder what kind of spirit was
that.
He said he was under the inspiration of the spirit. If he was
under the inspiration of the spirit, I wonder if the spirit is that
of God. I don’t think the spirit he’s referring to is the spirit of
God. He must have been under the influence of another spirit.
He must have been listening to a wrong spirit.
Is the statement not embarrassing to the Catholic Church as
a whole?
Indeed, it is. But I must say to you that he was not speaking
on behalf of the church. No! No!! No!!! Anybody with such
opinion is in error. The man cannot hold brief for the church.
Pardon me, but how can I say you are bloody fool and
anybody takes that to mean that all journalists are bloody
fools. It’s very funny.
In a situation such as this, what does the Catholic Church
do?
Well, the Catholic Church is structured in such a way that
there are dioceses where each priest belongs. This particular
priest happens to come from Enugu Diocese, so it is left for
the bishop in charge of that diocese to discipline him. If the
priest fails to obey the discipline, then the bishop is obligated
to report the mother to the Catholic Bishops Conference of
Nigeria, CBCN.
You may have heard the Bishop of Abuja Diocese, John
Cardinal Onaiyekan, who said that if the priest were to be in
his diocese, he would discipline him straight. But he is not in
his diocese. The best anyone of us can do is just to advise
him that he had gone too far and he is free to take our advice
and he may not. God gave every one of us a free will and we
are at liberty to use the freewill as we choose.
What kind of sanction can be given to such a priest?
It depends on his bishop. You cannot dictate for his bishop.
Don’t forget that this same man was at loggerheads with a
former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamanni, and it
was the same Adoration Ground in Enugu. If I have my way,
we should close that place because a lot of things have been
happening there that are out of tune. I think Gov. Peter Obi
also went there for prayers at one point. If I have my way, I
won’t go there for anything…