- Night marauders attack Nsukka Catholic churches
- Set Virgin Mary statues ablaze as priests kick
Catholic faithful in Nsukka Diocese, Enugu State, since early 2018, have no doubt that they are going through some sorts of persecution at the hand of maleficent forces. In this trying time, Catholics in the region have been subjected to various tribulations ranging from recurrent attacks by masquerades to repeated kidnapping of priests by herdsmen.
Last weekend, a grim episode, in the form of flagrant desecration of consecrated facilities, was added to the continuing ordeal of the church. In one week, faceless enemies had taken Armageddon to the doorsteps of the Catholic sanctuary by setting ablaze facilities on church premises. Two cases that happened within days of each other were similar in pattern as per targets, mode of attack and timing of onslaughts. These offensives, which created panic among the people in the affected areas, further heightened the awareness among Catholics of a diabolical plan against them.
Assault on Marian statues
The first incident happened last weekend at St. Jacob’s Parish Orba, Udenu Local Government Area, when parishioners woke up to the turbulent news that the Marian Grotto, built inside the church premises, has been set ablaze by an unknown person.
According to a parishioner, John Ugwu, who was at the church for the morning Mass, the suspect that set the statue on fire was a lady who came to the church pretending to be a worshipper.
Ugwu told Saturday Sun: “The incident happened around 5 am. We were in the church, getting ready for the morning Mass when all of a sudden, we saw smoke and flame coming out from the grotto of the Virgin Mary. Pandemonium ensued and some people quickly alerted the priests. By the time we rushed to the scene, we saw a lady running away from the church premises. By then it was too late for us to stop her and question her.”
By the time they quenched the fire, according to Ugwu, the damage was already done. Statue, flowers, holy pictures and the inner housing of the grotto had been burnt. The church estimated the total damage at one million naira.
Two days later, a similar sacrilege was carried out on St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish, Ohom Orba, still in Udenu Local Government Area. While the destruction was not as extensive as that of St. Jacob’s, the modus operandi was similar as the vandal was said to have sneaked into the premises at 3:30 am.
The parish priest, Monsignor Bernard Ngwuoke, was not available for comments when Saturday Sun visited the church. In his stead, Mr Everestus Agbo, the central catechist of the parish, who spoke with Saturday Sun called the incident a puzzle to the parish.
“Those living in parish house told us that one of the security men in the parish who noticed the presence of a stranger in the grotto at about 3:30 am alerted them. He was seen trying to break into the grotto, and when unsuccessful, he poured some substance suspected to be fuel on the door and then set it ablaze. By the time they rushed to the scene, the suspect was seen fleeing and was already at the gate. The bottle he dropped contained inflammable content.”
Asked if the church had a dispute with any person or group of persons to warrant the attack, Agbo claimed there was no known disagreement between the church and any person that could warrant such a sacrilege. On the other hand, he attributed the attack on the grotto to those who are envious of the rising popularity of the Marian movement in the Orba Deanery.
He said: “We have come to realise that there is no other reason these people should be targeting the Marian statue other than because of the recent Marian movement in the deanery. The evil ones are not comfortable with the situation. They felt the only way to stop this prayer movement is by destroying these holy statues. But they don’t know that evil can never triumph over good. If there is no power in those grottos, why are they targeting them?”
The basis for statues
Rev. Fr. Matthew Eze, the Director of Communication, Nsukka Catholic Diocese, who condemned the act in the strongest terms told Saturday Sun: “In the meantime, the Catholic Church of Nsukka Diocese is carrying out a serious investigation into the ugly incidents of the two Marian shrines that were burnt in St. Jacob’s Parish Orba and St. Patrick’s Parish Ohom-Orba. The Church condemns such terrible actions and prays for the repentance of all those involved. Whatever may be their motive, it is important to remind and educate our Christians on the place of statues in our religious worship.”
Fr. Eze admitted that the topic “was a controversial one in the early Church, requiring a council to settle the issue when some in the Church sought to destroy all images (not just statues)” believing that any image of God was against God’s laws and a form of idolatry.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), he said, explains that “in the Old Testament, God ordained or permitted the making of images that pointed symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word: so it was with the bronze serpent, the Ark of the Covenant, and the cherubim.”
He re-echoed the justification by the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea for the veneration of icons of Christ and also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all the saints. “Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. The honour paid to sacred images is a ‘respectful veneration,’ not the adoration due to God alone,” avowed the clergyman.
Going further, he drew a line between pagans’ worship of idols and Christians’ veneration of statues. “Catholic Christians who pray before statues do so to honour God or the saints, praying to the person “behind” the image rather than the image itself. A Christian is not bound to the statue. If the statue is destroyed, a Christian’s faith does not waver or cease. It is simply a representation of God (or a saint) and is a material object.
“Pagans, on the other hand, believe God is within the particular image. They adore the statue believing it holds great power.”
He denounced those involved in the act of vandalizing Catholic images as “operating under the influence of doctrinal ignorance.”
Aftermath of the attacks
However, there seemed to be uneasy calm across the affected parishes. Many of the faithful have decided to stay away from attending morning Masses to avoid being attacked by these men of evil deeds..