Follow Us On:
Anyone who knows me knows my stance on groups like the Zion Ministry. I don’t hide it and I never will.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, I learned, has banned them from the celebration and administering of sacraments. The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, where they are currently building a strong base, continues to ignore them.
Many priests and other concerned Catholics/Christians have criticized most of their actions.
The irony, however, is that the more these actions occur, the larger their numbers grow.
And you know what? The majority of them are Catholics. I spoke to a priest yesterday who told me that seven members of his family attended the just-concluded gathering in Ngo Okpala, and that everything he did to stop them was unsuccessful.
This matter goes beyond Ebuka Obi, his style of ministry, and his utterances, which we have condemned on numerous occasions.
We are talking about a movement that includes our own brothers and sisters, who would rather dïe than stop following it. If you’re not worried, I am.
I don’t see it as a sign of weakness for the Church to enter into dialogue with the leadership of the Zion Ministry. Not with the intention of usurping its leadership, but to provide direction and guidance to a movement made up of its own sons and daughters.
Such a gesture if successful would not be a sign of weakness, but rather an expression of care, love, humility, peace, and a desire for progress.
When the Church initiated ecumenical and interreligious dialogue during the Second Vatican Council, many conservative Catholics, such as the French Archbishop Lefebvre and many others, sharply criticized the Church for its “compromises” on the faith.
But the actions of the church was not a sign of weakness. Rather, the Church has shown that it has learned from history, especially its own. It has evolved.
In the 11th century, questions of papal authority and theological debates about the Holy Spirit, which could have been resolved amicably, led to schism, the first schism in the Church, which to this day separates Catholics from the Orthodox Church.
Another major schism occurred in the 16th century with Martin Luther. What could have been resolved through simple dialogue led to schism and conflict.
In many parts of Europe, the schism caused by Luther led to armed conflicts that lasted 30 years. They began in Germany and later spread to France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In the end, around 8 million people lost their lives.
Five centuries earlier, Pope Urban II had initiated the Crusades to recapture Jerusalem from the Muslims. These claimed millions of lives on both sides. Human lives were simply wasted for no reasons!
As a result of these and other events, the Church began to place more emphasis on dialogue than on conflict and on peace than on war.
In matters of religious tension, we should remember who we are: Africans. Our ancestors never engaged in religious wars.
As true sons and daughters of Africa especially as ụmụ Igbo, we should use our common sense to resolve any religious tension that might lead to conflict in a timely manner. We already have enough.
If the Zion Ministry had been founded as that of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries,
by Pastor Lazarus Muoka, no one would have been bothered.
Muoka left the Catholic Church and founded his own. Those who joined him knew they were joining a non-Catholic church. But in Zion ministry, most members are Catholics who believe they are following a man who promotes their Catholic faith.
The dialogue if successful would help in cutting the excesses of the ministry. It would unite us [Ndi Igbo] more.
If the issue of the Zion Ministry is not adequately addressed now, it may eventually be too late. Prevention is better than cure. I rest my case.
Fr. Angelo Chidi Unegbu [13th October, 2025]
