Monsignor Christopher Ajala, Administrator of
Catholic Diocese of Abeokuta, has highlighted the
reason the Catholic Church suspended its activities
in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),
national body.
Speaking at a press conference to mark the 15th
anniversary of the diocese in Abeokuta yesterday,
Ajala declared that the Christian umbrella body was
too close to government.
He alleged that the Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led CAN
had derailed from the objectives of the body,
adding that the Catholic Bishops Conference was
not comfortable with the development, hence its
decision to pull out.
His words: “The Catholic Church took their stand
before the purchase or the aircraft was donated to
him. But what the Catholic Bishops Conference is
complaining about is about the way they are
running the national CAN now that is not meeting
the objectives and the goals of CAN and the
forefathers of CAN.
“CAN is now being run as part of the government
and we said no. Because they (government) will
dictate to us what to do and they will not take our
advice seriously. The Catholic Church decided to
withdraw from the activities of CAN at national
level; we are still part of the state. We made our
stand clear in November, last year, and by
December, the man bought a jet. I don’t know how
he got it but the president was there on that day
the jet was delivered to him.
“So, what we are saying is that our religious leaders
should be honest, upright and they should also be
the conscience of this nation. If you are bought, the
masses of this country are finished. If you can
use money to buy our religious leaders, then there
is no hope for the common man. That is the
Catholic Church’s stand. We are supposed to speak
for the people to correct the wrongs in the society
and assist every government to know the will of
God for them and we still stand by that.”
Ajala equally warned that the emergence of a
Northern president in the 2015 general election
may not be the ultimate solution to the Boko
Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
“You mentioned that if a Northern president is
elected that this will stop, I doubt it. It is very clear
now that it’s not the northern leaders that are
responsible. If an Emir could be attacked, the
Sultan also could be attacked. So, it’s not just a
northern leader leading us; that’s not the issue.
This group has its own objectives and we should be
united in fighting them. Northerners and
southerners should be united in fighting this evil.”

http://www.asedeyhot.com/2013/01/23/catholic-church-pulls-out-of-can-for-being-run-as-part-of-the-government/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=catholic-church-pulls-out-of-can-for-being-run-as-part-of-the-government&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Good riddance. Ayo Oriitsejafor must apologize to all Christians for dragging the body into bullshyte and being partisan. Most Pentecostal pastors are only after their stomach, none wants to emulate Martin Luther King Junior. The man should be sacked

About time,positive move.

God Bless Pastor Tunde Bakare and Bishop Matthew Kukkah!!!

Pastor Ayo is a disgrace to Christians and Christianity in Nigeria!!!

This is long over due! Better late than never though..That warri born pastor has really dragged the Church into disrespute by dinning and wining with those rougues in power!

Beautiful! CAN is the religious arm of PDP under the leadership of Oritsejefor. A religious organisation that cannot publicly denounce the corruption and hypocrisy of the religious and civil leadership of the day. CAN remains a joke for now and not until it recovers the lost moral voice and point the accusing finger at the failed political leadership before it can be taken serious.
Enough of this mockery of God, even Christ made a whip because the zeal for his Father's house had consumed him!

I support the Catholic Bishops Conference on their suspension of activity at CAN national level for reason they stated; and also for stating that Northern presidency is not a panacea for boko haram terrorism.

I however think they should not stop at that; they should use every available legitimate means to curtail the excesses of the CAN president. While CAN is not an opposition party, CAN is also not, and should not be an appendage of any government - whether good or bad!

Another proof,conventional denominations and churches governed by rules ,matured independent MEN of God have been good for Christianity in the past and they also point to its proper future.One man riot churches have wreaked serious havoc on the credibility of Christianity.
Give me that old time religion!
Thank you Catholic church.

Greed runs in most of these new pastors we have around. they are all in CAN.