The Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, The Most Revd Dr. Henry Ndukuba has frowned on some unwholesome developments in the communion threatening the peace and harmony among the dioceses and said it was time to start righting the wrong.
One of them he said “is a situation in which some Bishops constitute themselves into a cabal for Episcopal Elections” . This he described as ‘sin against the Holy Spirit and not discerning the move of God’ asking such persons to go before God for repentance.
Delivering his opening address at this year Standing Committee Meeting held at St Bartholomew’s Cathedral, Kubwa, Abuja, Primate Ndukuba declared that it was essential to restore the dignity and sanctity of the ministry of the Church that “a three year Moratorium on the Translation of Bishops in the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion due to unhealthy and often ungodly rivalry seen in the quest by some Bishops seeking Translation to vacant sees”.
He observed that the opportunity to translate Bishops to Vacant Sees was being abused.
For emphasis he said : ” Whenever a Bishop is consecrated and enthroned in a Diocese, he wears an Episcopal ring that symbolizes his marriage to the Church in serving that Diocese. The prerogative of translation from one See to another, belongs to the Church, and not to demands, campaign and lobbying of the Bishop who want to go to greener pasture or Diocese
” Whatever you need to build the church of God is already provided by God in the Diocese where you are….If a Bishop is needed for a place even when he does not want to go, he can still be translated by two third majority of votes of the Episcopal Synod”.
Two other issues he highlighted as very worrisome are; one, “is a situation in which Dioceses or influential people, both Bishops and laity will insist that Bishops must be elected amongst the indigenes of the Diocese is a development we must address “.
He therefore advocated that the Episcopal Synod must be led by God to choose “a servant of God who must be best suited for the growth of the Church in that Diocese”.
The Primate gave thanks to God for the rich heritage of the Church. He said the process of election of bishops was quite sustainable “only when maintain the sanctity of the process and follow the guidance of the constitution. “
