Internationally acclaimed and renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has once again berated the system of the Catholic Church in Igboland, while on the other hand, she hails that of Cross-River State.
Chimamanda who was at a funeral ceremony in Cross-River State was extremely impressed and satisfied with the way the Church and the officiating priest conducted themselves, especially when compared to what she experienced in their hands during the burial of her mother in Anambra state.
She was at the Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church in Itigidi, CRS, that was on Saturday May 18, 2024, for the final funeral rites of her brother in-law, Andrew Elemi Esege, who she was full of praises and kind words for, describing him as someone who “was fiercely loved by many” while he was alive.
Talking of her experience during the funeral in CRS, the renowned writer heaped praises on Reverend Father Emmanuel Amiji Ujoh, most especially for the way he conducted himself on behalf of the church through out the burial period. She described him as a priest with lots of kindness and emotional intelligence.
She was particularly impressed by the huge difference of how things were conducted over there, compared to what she experienced in the hands of the Catholic Church during the burial of her parents in Anambra state.
Part of her words read, “there was no begging for a funeral date, no polishing of a priest’s inflated ego. No entitled demands for money and food. No suggestion from the priest that he is doing you a favour by burying your dead.” Further describing the activities of the Catholic Church in Cross-River State, CRS, as truly representing Christian ideology.
This was as she equally laments how the actions of the Catholic Church in her home state and home ruined the activities of her late mother’s requiem mass.
Read her complete post below…
May God almighty continue to help us get better, but frankly some people really need to sit up and do better.