Catholic bishops: We love them but we own Catholic

                               Vicars of Christ

 

The Catholic Church has told off its critics on matters celibacy to shut up forever instead of mourning.

Priests will remain celibate  and that is never going to be revised.

Fr Vincent Wambugu, the secretary General of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), said they are disappointed that breakaway priests are now mudslinging the Catholic Church from outside.

Fr Wambugu – who is the official spokesman for the Catholic Church and Cardinal John Njue – said renegade priests who have   formed their own churches understood the Catholic position on celibacy and other sex-related matters.

 

Expose “rot” in  Church

“Nobody is forced into celibacy, so there is no need of complaining because it is an individual, not a collective choice. And again, nobody is ordained suddenly, it is a long process that takes seven years,” said Wambugu while reacting to clerics who founded the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ (ECCC), led by Archbishop Mathew Theuri Mwangi.

 In our last edition( December 27- January 2) they had announced that they would expose “rot” in the Roman Catholic Church.

Archbishop Theuri claimed the Vatican condones hypocrisy and promiscuity among archbishops, ordinary bishops, priests and nuns.

“It is not just a coincidence that all of us seated here are from the Roman Catholic. It is because of celibacy, which is a big issue, and other salient matters the church has been adamant to address. Celibacy rule is not divine, getting married is not a sin,” said the archbishop in an article published by The Nairobian.

The ECCC priests had just concluded a retreat before Christmas where they discussed their choice to abandon the celibacy vow.

Fr Wambugu is not happy that the splinter church “is using the media to fight” them. “We are watching from far. I don’t know whether it is the project of The Nairobian to attack us every time. The Nairobian is not being fair to the Catholic church,” he said, urging the breakaway church to instead agree to dialogue with their former church.

The senior official said the church has properly defined channels of raising and solving contentious issues, urging the Theuri group to go slow down because despite leaving the church, “they are aware how Catholics conduct their affairs”.

 

One or two issues

“We don’t hate these people (ECCC), we love them because we don’t force people to come to the Catholic Church. Yes, there could be one or two issues but that does not institutionalise the matter becoming an agenda of generalities,” said Wambugu.

On concern by the ECCC priests that he was instrumental at ensuring that their church is not registered, the father said: “Catholic is a protected name. We have a right to do it (asking the government to protect the title). Let them sue us instead of complaining. The name (Catholic) is being misused right, left and centre.”

The church has allegedly instructed the Registrar of Societies not to register ECCC on grounds that it is using the name ‘Catholic’ to “confuse followers”.

The clerics in the splinter church who include Chilaka Johnny, Julius Maina, Gregory Musembi, David Mwangi, Peter Turunga, Evans Kanyiri, Joseph Mulwa, Paul Mbae, Martin Otiende, Julius Maina, James Gichuru and John Karimi, claimed they were being intimidated by their former church whenever they raised pertinent issues.

Fr Gichuru accused Wambugu of attempting to muzzle them through the Attorney General’s office.

“Who does he (Wambugu) think he is by stating they have paid for the title from 2011 to 2021? They have threatened to take legal action against those who violate the decree,” Gichuru said.

 

Sexual pleasures

But Wambugu warned his former colleagues against such “public attacks that cast the church in bad light”.

 “Attacking other people is wrong. There has to be a distinction and wisdom. Let me advance my philosophy and doctrine if it makes sense since people have eyes and ears to gauge what is said. The media is not an arbiter or a mouthpiece,” the cleric said.

The Roman Catholic priests face accusations of breaking the celibacy vow and indulging in sexual pleasures, which have resulted into children raised by single mothers.

“Celibacy is not a debatable issue and the Holy Father has been clear on that. If they have an issue with celibacy, there is a way of raising it,” Wambugu said.