Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie has condemned in strongest terms, the divorce crisis rocking the Christ Embassy church founder and senior Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.
Okogie told Vanguard:
“When the going was good, they took vows on the altar of God to stay together in sickness and in health, until death do them part. They promise to make one another faithful partner in the presence of God, their family and friends and vow to be each other’s faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. They promise to love one another unconditionally, to support each other, honor and respect and cherish themselves for as long as they both shall live,”
He said it was disturbing when Pastors forgot the vows they took before God, and lost the spirit of forgiveness.
“It shows that they cannot live by what they preach. The Bible says: ‘What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.’ So why are they putting asunder what the good Lord has joined together if they are men of God as they claim?”
Asked what the development portrays for the Church of God, the cardinal replied with a question
“What Church are you talking about?”
He went on: “It is not good. Are they true pastors? Good shepherds of the Lord are expected to do everything to shepherd their flock including their spouses even when they err. If God forgave us in spite of our filth, why can any man who is truly called pastor not forgive any malfeasance?”
Okogie blamed the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, which registers every organization which goes about deceiving people in the name of church, noting that there are several “useless” institutions that have been registered churches which are currently painting the Church of God in bad light.