FR. EJIKE MBAKA NEEDS A SPIRITUAL RETREAT

“I’m going to suffer because I have no place to put my head. I am going to suffer because I have no place to keep the Adoration ministry’s assets. I know I’m going to suffer”

The above statement was made by Fr. Ejike Mbaka during his last mass at Christ the King Parish GRA, Enugu. I have followed Fr. Mbaka’s activities for close to 2 decades now. I attended his crusade in Makurdi in 2000 and I listen to his songs with “Chideraa” as my favourite. He is a charismatic preacher and he knows almost all the Bible verses by-heart. I became worried about his preaching when he released an audio preaching titled “Wicked Generation”. Some part of the preaching sounded okay while other part was somehow Uncatholic. Since then, I saw his ministry drifting from conservative Catholicism to Pentecostalism.

Fr. Mbaka was in the news  when the former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan visited him. He prayed for the first lady and anointed her hands with oil and said that APC posed no threat to GEJ in Enugu, that people of the State view the opposition party as Boko Haram party. At the New Year eve in 2014, he retracted his support for GEJ and declared his support for Buhari and campaigned for Buhari on the pulpit; this was totally wrong and against the Catholic Code of Canon Law (#285). It was condemned by Cardinal Okogie and Cardinal Onaiyekan.

Recently, he was transferred to another parish and instead of him to move quietly to his new parish, he allowed politicians to feast on the news of his transfer and make a mountain out of it. APC chapter in the State joined other busybodies to condemn his transfer, turning a pure religious routine to a political affair. Let me address some grievances raised by Fr. Mbaka:

• He said he will suffer because his new Parish is a small one and has a small “father’s house”. I believe Fr. Mbaka is a priest and he is mindful of what Christ said in Luke 9:58 “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”. Christ knew what he wanted from his followers, that was why he repeatedly told his disciples that his kingdom is not of this world. Mbaka should understand that he is not different from other priests working in those rural parishes; moreover, missionary priests left their developed countries to bring the Good news to us.

• Fr. Mbaka spoke about the assets of his ministry, that he doesn’t know where to keep them. I am really surprised that Fr. Mbaka is talking about assets. Bishop Hassan Kukah setup most parishes we have in Abuja today but he is in a less developed diocese of Sokoto as Bishop. Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Atule Usuh normally transfer any car gift given to them to their seminary school. Even the seminary that Fr. Mbaka attended (free of charge) was built by somebody else. When Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican, he left with no assets and when Pope John Paul was buried, he was buried with no assets. I wonder if Fr. Mbaka is taking a cue from his superiors.

• Finally, let me advise Fr. Mbaka: The major difference between the Catholic Church and other Churches is that the Catholic Church is not a one-man’s show. It is Holy, Apostolate, Universal and One. So if he feels he can move away and set up his own congregation then he is free to do that. After all some priests before him left the church to form their ministry/congregation. Fr. Martin Luther, the father of modern day Pentecostal church founded the Lutheran church and Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, who claim to have the power of healing also left the mother church.

• Fr. Mbaka your job as a priest is to administer the seven sacraments and not to predict possible political events.

• The Catholic Bishop of Enugu diocese should organise a retreat for him and remind him of his calling as a priest. I still believe he can still be the priest we used to know.