Jesus “frowns at the needless inflation table in Nigeria”, Says Catholic Archbishop

Archbishop Kaigama further linked the country’s rise in corruption to the wide gap between the rich and the poor. This, he said, has combined with the worsening economic situation making life unbearable for ordinary Nigerians.

He further condemned indecent dressing by some Christians “who come to Church as if they are coming to a theatre show.” 

The Archbishop found it regrettable that some Christians in the country “wear very skimpy dresses, shoes that make them walk awkwardly, and transparent dresses that reveal what they are wearing under.”

The Archbishop also decried the use of mobile phones in the Church, saying that such behavior is unwarranted even if the “sermon is not exciting as some people claim.”

“Some churchgoers want drama in the church, sermons that concentrate on prosperity and miracles,” he said, cautioning against some pastors who he said “are more of motivational speakers than men of God.”

More in Africa

“Know when to leave”: Cardinal in Ivory Coast on Retirement from Episcopal Ministry

Read the article

 “Many self-made pastors have separated families by introducing division such as when they speak emphatically that one wants to kill the other or the children and sometimes causes the woman to transfer her trust to the person of the pastor,” he said.

The Catholic Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in April 1995 as Bishop of Nigeria’s Jalingo Diocese said that Jesus “also frowns at those who attack innocent citizens for sentimental tribal or religious zeal as witnessed in different parts of Nigeria.”

He explained, “When somebody is alleged to have publicly called for the killing of a Nigerian because of her faith and nothing is done by those who should take action, one wonders what kind of a country we are.”

The Archbishop lamented that despite having laws guiding and protecting human life and dignity in Nigeria, “some perpetrators of evil still find it as a thing of joy to kill others without the slightest compunction.”

“Lord, have mercy!” Archbishop Kaigama implored in his Sunday homily, and added, “May this season of Lent transform our lives as Christians, transform Nigeria as a nation, and those evil planners or doers among us in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.”