Clergy Who Engage in Crime are False Prophets, Rev Fr John Konyeke
In this interview with Media Personality, EMEKA ESOGBUE (PEN MASTER), Rev Fr John Maduabunechukwu Konyeke, a Priest of Issele-Uku Diocese who is an indigene of Anioma’s Ejeme Aniogor in Delta State speaks his mind on several issues touching the church. From his life beginning to priesthood down to whether Catholic Priests should become involved in partisan politics or not, Fr Konyeke, in this interview, makes meek but discerning opinions on the Catholic principles and Nigerian society. Excerpt:
Pen Master: Father, at long last, it’s so good to meet you. Tell our teeming readers about yourself.
Konyeke: (Smiling) I am indeed grateful for this privilege. I am Rev. Fr. John Maduabunechukwu Konyeke. I am a Priest of Issele-Uku Diocese and I hail from Ejeme Aniogor community in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Pen Master: Good to know you this much, Father. What was growing up like for you?
Konyeke: Growing up was good-filled with family care, love and anxiety. The wheel of life got entangled at the fresh stage of maturity. I was only three years old when my mother died and was only 15 years of age and in JSS 3 when my father left this world. At this point, life never remained same. It is instructive to say that with the grace of God, the family stood till date with emotional bruises as we steered the ship at the teeth of the wave. Family ties and support of good men and women gave us the hope.
Pen Master: I am sorry to learn that you went through these unfortunate situations. Well, but recently, you celebrated your priestly anniversary and the number of guests you attracted to this occasion was so amazing. Father, one may wonder how the journey to fatherhood started for you.
Konyeke: Being a Priest is a sublime privilege. It is an honour by God Himself. Late Rev. Fr. Simon Onyewadume inspired me. He was exemplary and I admired his priestly gestures. I am happy that I became a Priest before he died.
Pen Master: Okay, let us say that the impression most people outside the Church perhaps, have about reverend fathers is that they hardly associate with people outside the Catholic Church. In your own case, how do you manage to pass the gospel to areas outside this religious vicinity?
Konyeke: Priests are human beings called from among the people to minister for God. They are called to nourish the people with the word and sacraments. One of the paragraphs of the letter of appointment to stay in charge of a Parish reads “the good of the souls of the people of God in that portion of land has been entrusted to your pastoral care”. So, Priests are called to relate with the people of God everywhere and not just limited to those in the Church. Like the Anioma saying goes: “The snail goes about with it Shell”. Wherever the Priest is, his mission continues.
Pen Master: We understand that Catholic adherents are growing in numerical strength in your Ejeme-Aniogor hometown. What is the Diocese doing to accommodate them?
Konyeke: We have a Parish, St. Felix Catholic Church Ejeme-Aniogor that cares for the pastoral growth. We are grateful and thankful to God for the growth and the Bishop for his pastoral foresight in making the place a Parish.
Pen Master: …at this stage of our media chat, let us look at our country, Nigeria. Religious adherents are on the increase but ironically, crime is also on the increase. What can we attribute it to really?
Konyeke: The crime rate is so alarming that the social construct of our country is bleeding. Indeed religion forms and builds an entire person. Let me remark here that God alone has the power to judge those who truly worship Him in truth and Spirit. But as human beings, it is rather sad to note that many persons are calling the name of God in vain. In the same vein, we must acknowledge the fact that the peace we experience today is the result of the resolve of the few ‘religious men and women’ who truly worship God and keep his commandments.
Pen Master: Let me be more direct with the question to get a more direct response from you: Why is morality descending to almost the lowest ebb possible in our society?
Konyeke: Many people are not truthful again. Many families are no longer stable for the formation and training of children in the society. Again, the School environments are no longer conducive for teaching and learning to take place. They have lost their bearings of creating pupils or students who will be useful to themselves, the society and our world at large. The Church being the pacesetter in the formation of the human person has been avoided by so many people for proper Catechesis. The problems are rather numerous but there is hope for the ‘real’ ones who still come to the Church.
Pen Master: …okay, but again, even if the church is avoided by some people, we have heard of some cases of clergy who encourage crimes or engage in them themselves. What can be done to stem crime among the clergy?
Konyeke: Jesus Christ says of them: “Then I shall tell them to their faces— I have never known you; away from me, all evil doers”(Matt. 7:23). They are false prophets (Matt. 7:15-20).
Pen Master: The Catholic Church is known to embrace some aspects of the African culture. Where do the Church and cultural lines really meet? What is the limit for the Catholicism?
Konyeke: Culture is the way of life of a people. Christians are cultural beings. God created man and man made laws and customs to guide our daily activities. The essence of this is to protect and promote the sanctity of the individuals in the society. Consequently, anything that is an affront to the dignity of the human person in any culture should be jettisoned.
Pen Master: Many critics of the church believe that churches in Nigeria do little to further social developments in their societies. Without being biased, does this also include the Catholic Church to which you are a Priest?
Konyeke: It is worth noting that the Catholic Church has a long history of involvement in charitable work and social development in Nigeria and around the world. The Catholic Church in Nigeria has several agencies and institutions dedicated to charitable work and social development. For example, the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN) is the official development agency of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, and it works to promote social justice, peace, and development through a variety of programs, including disaster response, healthcare, and education. Under the CCFN, we have the Church and Society Department which has 5 units namely, JDPC, Family and Human Life Unit (FHLU), Education, Health, and Migrant and Refugees units. The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is another agency of the Catholic Church that provides humanitarian assistance and development programs in Nigeria and other countries. In addition to these agencies, the Catholic Church in Nigeria also operates a network of schools, hospitals, and other institutions that provide essential services to communities across the country. These institutions often serve marginalized and vulnerable populations, such as the poor, rural communities, and people affected by conflict or disease. While there may be valid criticisms of the Catholic Church and other religious organizations in Nigeria, it is clear that the Catholic Church has made significant contributions to social development through its charitable work and institutions. The Church has not abandoned this responsibility of her head, Jesus Christ who fed both the physical and spiritual needs of the people he ministered to.
Pen Master: It sounds good to see that the Catholic Church serves the humanitarian needs of the society for the good of mankind. Now, do you think that Catholic priests should become involved in Nigerian politics?
Konyeke: The Priesthood has its ‘pastoral burden’. This is why the Church in her wisdom admonishes in Canon 285 § 3: “Clerics are forbidden from assuming public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power”.
Pen Master: If you have the opportunity, what should you change among the Anioma youths of today?
Konyeke: Anioma youths should embrace our old ways of communal life, where ‘umunneness’ (kinship) irrigates societal growth and development. This entails respecting those values that held the society together. We are for ourselves.
Pen Master: Father, what advice do you also have for Christians all around the country?
Konyeke: Christians are those who believe in God and worship Him through Jesus Christ. The Church says in article 2834 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you”. This is having Confidence in God and in yourself.
Pen Master: Tell us more about yourself.
Konyeke: I strongly believe that God is aware of our daily struggles and he is equally involved.
Pen Master: I must thank you, Rev Fr John Konyeke for speaking with me today.
Konyeke: God be with you always, the Pen Master. Let me equally say that you have been a great example for many in Anioma’s traditional society. Thank you for the historical facts and figures you bequeath us with. I have learnt a lot from you. Jisike Nna.