Church leaders react to suspension of Lagos priest who banned Igbo songs

The suspension of Rev. Fr. James Anelu, the priest-in-charge of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ewu-Owa, Ikorodu, is eliciting reactions. Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos suspended Anelu for banning Igbo song during mass in the church. Onyema Onyemankeya, Coordinator, Catholic Deanery of the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), FESTAC chapter, warned against discrimination. Onyemankeya urged people to always pray for God’s direction of the Levites leading the church. “I thank God his grace, the Archbishop, is handling the matter there is no cause for alarm. Everything will be settled in no distance time. “Humans are not infallible; the priest’s state of mind at the time of the incident may have been manipulated by the devil to cause disaffection”, he told NAN. National President, Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Dame Mary Asibi-Gonsum, said priests’ over-familiarity with the faithful could cause distractions. The women leader condemned Anelu’s action, noting that God understands every language. ”There should not be room for discrimination in the house of God for the worship is for God and not for man,” she stressed. Asibi-Gonsum said overzealous people close to priests try to influence their thoughts and actions for selfish reasons. She urged clerics to avoid misconception, misinterpretation and misapplication of the norms of the church.