Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi, Most Rev. Hyacinth Egbebo has cautioned Christians not to fall to the antics of clergymen who proclaim fake prophecies and miracle.
According Egbebo the essence of Christianity is not all about prophecies and miracles but being Christlike.
He chided clergymen who paraded fake prophecies and miracles in the name of the Lord, alleging that some of them are witch-doctors who stage-manage miracles just to deceive unsuspecting members of the public with the intent to exploit them.
The Bishop gave the admonition at the Priestly Ordination Ceremony of Rev. Fr. Mark Inedi held at the Christ The King Catholic Church, Imiringi Deanery in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
It would be recalled that prior to his ordination as a Priest, Rev. Fr. Inedi was ordained a Deacon in 2024 at the Diocesan headquarters in Bomadi, Delta State.
“The Catholic Church gave the Holy Bible to Christendom. Christ never came with the Bible, though he was born of the Holy Blessed Virgin Mary. Christians Should refrain from believe in fake prophets and miracles.
“Yes, they say the Catholic Church doesn’t perform miracles and doesn’t prophesy, but we’re the origin of Christianity, and we’re the early Church who still speak and use Latin to teach the word of God. Catholic is original.
“I don’t intend to ridicule any pastor or man of God, but pastors and Churches should stop deceiving people with fake prophecies and stage-managed miracles”, he said.
Meanwhile, speaking with newsmen shortly after his ‘Maiden Mass/Thanksgiving’, Rev. Fr. Inedi promised to discharge the duties of his calling with respect, obedience and humility to the Church and humanity in general.
The Priest thanked the Bishop of the Diocese, his colleague Priests, his parents and others for the support given him through out his formative years in the Seminaries, noting that it was a herculean task, but God made it possible for him to succeed in his vineyard which culminated into his ordination ceremony.
“By God’s grace I’ll try my very best as a Priest in the discharge of my Priestly duties to the Church and humanity. It was indeed challenging, but God enabled this day to become a reality.
“I want to thank and appreciate the Lord Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi, His Lordship Most Rev. Hyacinth Egbebo for the encouragement and support. I also want to thank all my Senior Colleague Priests, my parents, relatives, family members, friends and classmates for their unrelenting support through out my formative years. May God continue to bless all of them”, he said.
In their separate remarks, the duo of the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bayelsa State Chapter, Very Rev Fr. Joseph Opelema, and the Priest in charge of the Imiringi Deanery, Rev. Fr. Peter Ikuli described the formative years of Priesthood as very challenging.
Opelema who also doubles as Vicar-General of the Diocese advised the newly ordained Priest to be steadfast, courageous and dedicated to the growth of the Church and progress of the larger society.
He emphasized that Catholic Priests were called to serve humanity and exemplify the teachings of Christ in their conducts.
“The trajectory of increase in the number of indigenous Priest from and around the Imiringi Deanery and surrounding parishes was due to Opelema’s resilience and successful ordination as a Priest in 1994.
“If Joseph Opelema hadn’t succeeded as a Seminarian and ordained successfully having been the first prist from this area many of us wouldn’t have become priests today”, Rev. Fr. Ikuli said.