A Nigerian cleric, Reverend Fr. Patrick Edet, who some days ago revealed that he has tendered his resignation from priesthood after several years of service has now revealed the reasons behind his decision.
Reverend Edet while speaking on his decision which has sparked several reactions in different quarters said he decided to end what was supposed to the lifetime of service to the church after 11 years because he felt the strong urge to leave the church.
Speaking at a weekly Christian programme titled: “Grace and Inspiration” on Planet FM, Akwa Ibom, on August 2, the cleric noted that peace deserted him while he was with the church.
He added that he was feeling boxed in and it was subsequently affecting his personal relationship with God.
During the live program, the cleric noted: “On 31st of July, I resigned from my services, my duties and obligations as a Catholic priest. I ceased to be a Catholic priest in my thinking, in my spirit, in my soul, (and) in my body.
“Yesterday, the 1st of August, was my first day outside the laws, the regulations, (and) the authority of the Catholic church. In my mind, every law that bound me, bound me because I submitted myself to the Catholic Church as an institution. Having submitted my resignation letter to my authorities in the Catholic Church, in my spirit, soul and body, I am free from every law that guided me.
“I submit myself to one authority – God. Peace has been taken away from me for years. I live in fear and in doubt. Sometimes I doubt myself – am I really right, am I in the right place.”
Speaking on his stay with the Catholic church adding that he felt like something was missing in his relationship with God, he said: “A box is already made for you and you cannot go outside that box. You cannot know God beyond that box. You cannot express God beyond that box, and any attempt for you to go beyond that box brings you label. The God that I have discovered in life is a God that cannot be fully known. That God is a God that cannot be fully predicted and cannot be fully captured in human expression otherwise he will cease to be a mystery.
“That is a God I have come to accept as my God. I have come to realise that serving that God you need freedom. When that freedom is limited you cannot fully serve that God. Each time I tried to cross the line, the thing I meet crushes me on the inside and makes me feel guilty. But I cannot stop doing it. There’s a pull inside of me telling me there is more, and life was meant to be more and that more is found in freedom in God.”
Speaking on the repercussion of leaving the church and priesthood, the cleric added: “the reason I am doing this is that I want to be right with God first. I want to go to heaven when I die. It is not the Church that called me, it is God who called me that is above the Church, and my interest is to be right with Him first and have peace with Him first.”