The Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Ewu-Owa Gberigbe in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Rev. Fr. James Anelu, has been “suspended” for banning Igbo songs and choruses in his parish. The embattled priest claimed that his action was to curb Igbo domination, which he said is offensive to him.
His action is most shocking because as a priest of the holy Catholic Church, he is supposed to be a representative of Jesus Christ who accommodated all races, tribes, rich and poor. This same deluded priest allows English songs in his parish but thinks the Igbo is dominating his life. Even though he is from Edo State, his actions were capable of further pitching the Yoruba against the Igbo in Lagos, a sinister move that should not be engineered by a supposed priest.
Interestingly however, the Catholic Church in Nigeria and elsewhere around the globe is not as debased as Rev. Fr. James Anelu as the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos led by Bishop Alfred Martins immediately issued a ‘disclaimer,’ which directed the priest to proceed on “an indefinite leave of absence”.
Anelu was reported to have banned Igbo songs and choruses in his parish, arguing that the excesses of Ndigbo must be contained. It was learnt that he had angrily stopped a soul-lifting chorus during the second collection, noting that the Igbo in Lagos, and or across Nigeria cannot keep dominating other people. Kickstarting the campaign against the Igbo, the priest said, “it will never happen in his parish that the Igbo will be allowed to dominate.” However, he collects the monies donated by the Igbo, as well as church offerings from the same Igbo people he hates so much.
He reportedly cited the case of his Benin Diocese where Igbo dominate to the point of becoming the bishop, allegedly claiming that the spirit of God recognises only geographical languages of the parish.
While announcing the suspension, Martins, in the letter dated February 7, said, “It has been brought to our notice that Rev Fr James Anelu, the priest-in-charge of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Ewu-Owa, Ikorodu, made some completely unacceptable comments about Igbo songs being sung in the Church and unsavoury remarks that do not represent the Catholic church’s position on the common brotherhood of peoples of all tribes and religions.
“For this reason, he has been asked to proceed on an indefinite leave of absence to give an opportunity for a thorough investigation of all the matters relating to his ministry on the parish. The leave of absence takes effect from Tuesday, February 8, 2021, till further notice “We, therefore, urge all Catholic faithful to hold on to the faith and continue in worship of God as one big family united and not separated by language, culture, or race.”
