Alia’s attacks on the church

The manner in which supporters of Hyacinth Alia have been insulting Catholic Bishops in Benue State and beyond is shocking!

They began their assaults on Bishop Williams Avenya who suspended Alia. They spent about two months heaping invectives on His Lordship the Bishop.

Up next to receive a dose of vituperations from Alia’s supporters was His Lordship Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja. His only “offense” was saying that a Catholic priest has no business in partisan politics where there are more than one political party. Supporters of the contumacious APC candidate spent nearly three weeks insulting Cardinal Onaiyekan.

Now, they are insulting the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, His Lordship Wilfred Anagbe. No day passes without the Bishop receiving verbal or written attacks from supporters of the suspended priest. Their next bus stop of insults will be His Lordship Ignatius Kaigama, the Archbishop of Abuja.

What is even more disturbing is Alia’s silence in the face of torrential insults on his superiors. There has been no statement of caution to his supporters! He apparently is loving it.

Whenever insults are hurled at the Bishops on campaign grounds, you’d hear him urge his supporters to yell “yes father”! Quite sad and unfortunate!

But Alia ought to know that he is too small to destroy the Catholic Church in Benue State. The church of God has been in existence since the advent of the Ministry of Jesus Christ its founder, and no individual can bring it down to massage his vaulting political ambition. The Bishops are custodians of the doctrines of the church. It is not a personal matter.

No matter how desperate he is to become governor, I expect him to consider the prestige and reverence of the Bishops as a no-go area.

By Terver Akase