The Catholic Church has called for an end to private prayer ministries within the mother church, warning priests to desist from it for unity of purpose.
Speaking on Tuesday at the unveiling of the 33rd Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association annual general meeting, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Most Rev. Alfred Adewale-Martins said the prayer ministries distract the congregation.
“The proliferation of prayer ministries in the church is wrong and should be checked for unity of purpose. The church has ways of worship and prayers different from ways of the private prayer ministries,” he said.
“Many of those prayer houses hold their attendants spellbound with the intention of exploiting them and in most cases their needs are not met prayer-wise.
“If you want to be a celebrity you do not have anything to do with priesthood; instead channel that your prayer ability into the church and make the best of it in the Church rather than create a prayer variant of the church.”
Enugu-based priest Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka operates what is arguably the most popular private ministry within the church in Nigeria with his Adoration Ministries.
Adewale-Martins noted that there was no other ministry to be followed and venerated other than that of Jesus Christ as represented by the mother church.
The archbishop also described the prayer ministries as separatist spirits that did not mean well for the church and society.
