Faith
Why African clergymen said ‘no’ to Pope
By Tajudeen Adigun
It was a revolt of people who had been earlier indoctrinated by the white missionaries to embrace Christianity, belief in God, and persuaded to drop their idolatrous ways of life. The white man’s evangelism hit the bull’s eye as Africans took the white missionaries’ message of God and Christianity hook, line, and sinker. It was wholesomely swallowed, changing and rejecting the perception, belief, and everything that they had earlier believed. The new ways and beliefs brought by Christianity had completely permeated the people’s lives and style of living.
So, when the mentors, the advocates of Christian ways of life, now turned around to sell a new deed that was strange to the earlier doctrine they were imbued with, deeds that incurred the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, such as gay marriage, lesbianism, transgender that were not found in the religious dictionary of Christianity, but now advocated by Pope Francis as the new symbols of liberation and freedom, the African bishops had no option, but to say ‘No’. This was fouling the atmosphere of decency and piety as instructed by the Holy Bible. They could not reconcile the belief in God’s ways of life that had been earlier sold to them and the new agenda of the Pope directing Catholic Church priests to bless same-sex couples. It was, therefore, not a surprise that they said ‘No’ and embarked on a collision course with the Pope, who has emerged as the chief spokesperson of same-sex couple marriage and lesbianism. The Pope, in a display of what could be described as an accommodative large-heartedness, advocated the blessing of a same-sex couple by Catholic Church priests.
This did not go down well with the bishops and priests who were indigenes of Africa. The bishops did not make any pretense about their belief that the Pope’s instruction was against the word of God in the Bible. They rose in unison and anger, saying that the Pope’s stance was nothing but a dagger to the church’s heart. A repackaged paganism. With one voice, they opposed what they tagged a march to Sodom and Gomorrah. They reminded the Pope that it is heresy for any man of God to pray for a couple that is not a man and a woman in a holy union. And here is the spiritual and administrative head of the Catholic Church advocating what made God destroy the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. This is not only profane but a total absurdity.
The biblical narrative said that Abraham had met the holy angels of God on their way to destroy a city, Sodom and Gomorrah, that was steeped in sins that were repugnant to what was holy and God’s ways. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were neck-deep in lesbianism and gay relationships as men shared anus sexual pleasure among themselves.
Abraham had interceded and pleaded that God should pity the sinners and allow them to repent. God said that if 10 percent of the city’s residents were found to be holy and in compliance with God’s instructions, the city would be spared. In the absence of such people, Abraham said he had family members in the city. Lot was the head of the family and Abraham pleaded that Lot and members of his family should be spared. God accepted the pleadings of Abraham and spared Lot’s family from the calamitous of being burnt to ashes. Members of Lot’s family were, however, under strict instruction not to look back as they were exiting the city. Lot’s wife, either out of folly or pig-headedness, did look back as the family members were exiting Sodom and Gomorrah and she instantly became a pillar of salt.
Most Christians, not to mention those who had undergone theological courses that qualified them to become priests, bishops, and men of God are all aware of this biblical story. Perhaps that was why the African bishops were shocked that the Pope had turned himself into a salesman of priests blessing same-sex couples, which was nothing other than what miffed God to incinerate Sodom and Gomorrah in the past. Is it not, therefore, surprising that the Pope, who is the postal boy of religiosity, spirituality, and regent of God on earth has become the promoter of lesbianism and gay marriage?
The Catholic Church was the first church on earth. It came to life during the Roman Empire. It assumed as it were not only the religious and spiritual supremacy but also the political sovereignty of the Roman Empire. The orthodox churches, such as Methodist, and Anglican, among others, came later after the protest of a German clergyman, Martin Luther. Pentecostal churches were to follow later, emerging from the crucible of the orthodox churches.
Earlier, the Anglican Church or the Church of England had come to Nigeria and perhaps Africa with the sugar-coated tongue selling gay marriage, lesbianism, bisexual, and transgender agenda to the continent. The salesmen, however, met a brick wall as the Anglican Church clergy in Nigeria said no. This was one of the reasons that gave birth to a change of name and the Church of Nigeria came to life. The Church of England came to Nigeria on the wings of the British colonialism expedition.
It was in between the deliberate moves of the two churches, the Catholic and Anglican to ram gay marriage, and lesbianism into African minds that the political version tagged: the European Union-Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Countries partnership agreement came. The promoters brought with them tempting subsidies and subventions that were not easy to shun. They were, however, surprised that country after country in Africa said no. That was before the clergymen voiced their opposition to the agenda. They said capital’ No’. The clergymen were not alone in this. It’s on record that former President Goodluck Jonathan and many other political leaders in Africa refused to sign what could rightly be tagged a devilish pact.
What put off African clergymen and, of course, governments in the continent were the immediate implication of the pact for any country or association that signed it. First, the policy of the pact would usurp the primary position of the country’s constitution on related issues. In other words, the pact becomes superior to the constitutions of the countries that signed it.
If the pact on transgender, gay marriage, and lesbianism had been ratified by African countries, it would have been a giant step on the path of promoters of the agenda of the New World Order and their resolve to remove the idea of God in the minds of people.
In 1800, a document tagged: The Protocol of Elders of Zion hit the public in Britain. Its major thrust was the promotion of science above God. Most of the promoters, who were members of the Lunar Society, were products of Edinburgh University. They were not only against the monarchies but were also spearheading the promotion of the removal of God’s ideas from people’s minds. Charles Darwin, that popular scientist, was the leading personnel of the Lunar Society’s cause for science. They believed that science was the new champion for solving human problems and overcoming their challenges. If people, who believed in the power of knowledge and science were shouting and singing its praise from the rooftops, it’s an embarrassment, of the highest order, for the clergy to join in the eulogy of science and the relegation of God to the background in the affairs of men.
The New World Order is premised on the belief that freedom should not be compromised. Every person is free to live the kind of life that appeals to him or her. Provided, he or she does not encroach on another person’s right and freedom. No obstacle should be allowed to hinder people’s enjoyment of freedom. Fueled by pragmatism, the advocates insisted that people should live as they wish. Gods or religious injunctions should not be allowed to hinder their freedom. They resolved that dogmatism that hangs everything about life on fate should be kept at bay. Observers have, however, attributed the new quest for rejection of dogmatism to the gift of the sixth sense. The ability of man to engage in abstract thinking and dwell in the realm of imagination, thus indulging in speculation that sometimes has no solid structure in reality could be vague, spelling disaster for the speculators.
On this note, Pope Francis, who was shocked that the clergymen in Africa revolted and outright rejected his direction on blessing same-sex couples, fingered the preponderance of African culture for their uncompromising stance on same-sex couples.
To Africans, only man-and-woman should be husband and wife. Same-sex as advocated by the pope, to them is not in compliance with God’s order. That is why it must not be touched with a 40-meter pole.
Source: The NATION
Twelve years after his ministry in Kenya, East African Italian-born Catholic priest Sandro Ferretto has married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo County.
According to Kenya Times, the couple exchanged vows in a traditional ceremony on 6 September at Seretion Village in Kasiela, a community where Mr Ferretto previously served as parish priest.
The event brought together relatives, local leaders, elders and friends of the bride, who witnessed the Koito ceremony, a significant Kalenjin custom centred on dowry negotiations and family blessings.
Ferretto’s ministry
Mr Ferretto, 55, began his priesthood in Italy before taking his ministry to Kenya, where he spent more than a decade working with local communities.
The Diocese of Padua ordained him as a priest, and he arrived in Kenya in 2008 to begin missionary service. He worked around Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu and became involved in pastoral outreach, youth programmes and community-based development efforts in Baringo.
He eventually returned to Italy in December 2020 with another missionary, Fr Mariano Dal Ponte.
In 2023, the priest assumed responsibility for a pastoral unit in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, in the Padua diocese. His duties covered eight churches in the area.
His tenure, however, lasted only several months. In December 2023, he celebrated a final Mass before stepping aside from the position to take time for reflection.
The decision reportedly caught some of his colleagues off guard because he gave them little notice.
The Diocese of Padua later acknowledged his withdrawal from pastoral duties, stressing that he continued to serve as a priest and had no connection to any controversy. The diocese described the decision as a requested period away from pastoral ministry.
During his break, Mr Ferretto was reportedly involved in volunteer work with a migrant support group in Padua.
Reunion and law
Mr Ferretto later returned to Kenya and reunited with Ms Jepng’ok, whom he met during his missionary work in Baringo.
Residents of the area widely knew him as “Father Sandro” after he spent more than a decade working with families, youth organisations and church congregations. Baringo is also Ms Jepng’ok’s home region.
Catholic canon law requires Latin Rite priests to observe celibacy and bars them from marrying while they remain in active ministry. The Church considers the commitment a lifelong obligation of the priesthood.
For a priest to marry, he must first be formally removed from the clerical state through a process approved by the Vatican. Known as laicisation, the process ends his status as a priest and normally includes a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy.
Only after receiving the necessary approval can a former priest marry. Without it, the marriage would contravene Catholic canon law and would not be recognised by the Church.
Pastor Titilayo Adewale, the daughter of the late Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, the founder of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has firmly denied viral media reports claiming she criticized the church’s leadership or demanded public monuments to preserve her father’s legacy.
The viral post claimed Adewale criticised senior RCCG pastors for allegedly sidelining her late father’s legacy
Adewale described the claims as false and urged those circulating them to stop spreading misinformation.
She debunked the circulating stories and clarified her stance in a statement shared on Facebook page on Monday.
She said the statement attributed to her did not originate from her “either implicitly or explicitly,” stressing that her father’s greatest legacy was not tied to buildings or monuments but the lives he transformed.
“For the record, Baba’s image or lack thereof on any edifice on earth is nothing compared to making Heaven and his face being recognized there,” she wrote.
She explained that her father never encouraged the pursuit of material possessions or earthly recognition, recalling that he was reluctant even to own a personal residence because he did not place value on material acquisitions.
“My father consistently believed in building people rather than merely constructing buildings.
“He never believed in acquiring wealth or earthly possessions,” she said, adding that it would be inconsistent to suggest that he desired his name or image to be prominently associated with buildings or institutions.
According to her, the reports were aimed at creating unnecessary controversy and division within the church rather than promoting the memory of its founder.
“In my opinion, this report and similar ones are not about me, my father, or even the leadership of the RCCG. Instead, they are intended to create unnecessary arguments and division.
“Their purpose is to divert attention from the divine work currently being carried out and sow discord among us,” she stated.
She warned those responsible for circulating the reports to desist from what she described as “mischievous acts of misinformation.
Adewale also reaffirmed her support for the leadership of the church, praying for continued wisdom and strength for the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and his family.
By Gabriel Agbo
Gehazi
We saw how Gehazi, the Elisha’s servant brought the generational curse of leprosy upon himself, his children, and his descendants forever; just because of greed, deception and disloyalty. God had used Prophet Elisha to cure Naaman; an Aramean army general of his leprosy. The soldier with joy and gratitude brought gifts to the man of God; which he rejected. As the general (now a new convert) was going home, promising to serve the God of Israel, the greedy Gehazi ran after him. Gehazi met him and lied to him that his master Elisha sent him to collect some of those gifts he had earlier rejected. He collected and hid them. But as he was coming in, the prophet told him all about his treacherous actions and promptly issued a generational curse upon him.
“Because you have done this, you and your children and your children’s children will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever’ When Gehazi left the room, he was leprous; his skin was as white as snow.”
2 kings 5: 27
Gehazi was indeed a treacherous person. Greed pushed him to run after Naaman. When he caught Naaman, he lied with his master’s name and when he was coming back he hid the ill-gotten gifts. As if that was not enough, he again lied to his master, who was asking him where he was coming from. I wonder what he had been learning from the prophet while he was with him. He was indeed deceptive, disloyal and treacherous. For all these, he succeeded in destroying his and his descendants’ destinies forever. Falsehood, deception, disloyalty and betrayal can never go unpunished. Never!
Gibeonites
The Gibeonites also resorted to deception to save themselves from the Israelites and that action eventually turned them and their generations into wood choppers and water carriers. Be careful! See it:
“Joshua did not allow the people of Israel to kill them. But that day he made the Gibeonites the woodchoppers and water carriers for the people of Israel and for the altar of the LORD – wherever the LORD would choose to build it. That arrangement continues to this day.”
Joshua 9:26-27.
Paying Evil for Good
Another treacherous act that brings generational curse upon an individual, family or people is paying evil for good. That is when you deliberately reward somebody who has done well to you with evil. This brings terrible curses not just to the individual, but to their family. The bible said in Proverbs 17:13 that,
“If you repay evil for good, evil will never leave your house.”
That is, you must make sure that you always repay good for good. You must make sure that you don’t betray a person who has favored you. If you do otherwise, the bible says that evil will come to your house, family and make a permanent abode. Some other translations say that it (evil) will remain in your house (family). And house here again means family and you know that anything that has to do with the family has already gone generational; because it will affect the children, children’s children and may go on and on. You must ensure always, without fail that you repay good for good. Even the bible said that we should go beyond that to do well to those who did evil to us. True!
David had this terrible experience from the people he favoured. They paid him evil for good and he consequently asked God to give them their due reward – punishment (curses). Let us read Psalm 35:12-13, “They repay me with evil for the good I do. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I even fasted and prayed for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.”
Then in Psalm 109:1-5,
“O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. They are all around me with their hateful words, and they fight against me for no reason. I love them, but they try to destroy me – even as I am praying for them! They return evil for good, and hatred for my love.”
Like I said earlier, David had a dose of treachery from men. From his son to his friends, his advisers to adversaries. Even King Saul, while David was showing him kindness, he was busy making every possible plan to terminate the young boy’s life out of jealousy. David then called upon God to defend and fight for him. Every victim of treachery makes one form of prayer or the other, even if it is not audible. And most times, it is a call against the treacherous person. A call for justice and God’s defence, and it is always answered. David said, “God don’t stand silent and aloof.” Did God answer him? Yes! Just check out how all his enemies, including the treacherous ones ended. Jesus, Paul, and others also reaffirmed that a betrayer is cursed. In fact, Jesus said that He knew that He was going to be betrayed, but cursed is the man that would allow himself to be used as the instrument; that it would be better he was not born. Treachery will always attract curses upon a person and his next generations.
In the case of Ham, it made them servants. For Gehazi and his descendants, it was leprosy. Gibeonites – woodchoppers and water carriers. And for those who pay evil for good, they and their next generations shall have evil dwelling permanently in their families. Watch the treacherous person and his descendants; it has never been well with them. For whatever a man sows, that he must surely reap. Be careful! Now, you have the opportunity to pray for forgiveness of those treacherous acts of yours, your parents and your family. Bow your head and admit to the Lord that you are sorry for those ungodly acts. Ask him to remove any sin that is against your bloodline. And if you have inherited anything that does not glorify him, ask him to remove it from you, your children and your children’s children. Renew your pledge to His kingdom and government, then stand and guard against the devices of the enemy. We will continue next week. God bless!
Rev Gabriel Agbo is the author of the books / audiobooks: Power of Midnight Prayer, Receive Your Healing, Breaking Generational Curses: Claiming Your Freedom, Never Again!, I Shall Not Die, Move Forward, Power of Sacrifice and many others. Tel: 08037113283 Facebook: Gab Agbo E-mail: gabrielagbo@yahoo.com Website www.authorsden.com/pastorgabrielnagbo Twitter: pastorgabagbo Whatsapp: 08164819333
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