CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF NIGERIA STRONGLY WARN PRIESTS AGAINST ACTIVE POLITICS

To all Catholic Priests in Nigeria

On Clerics Actively Engaging in Partisan Politics

Over the years, some priests in Nigeria, without the requisite authorisation from the competent ecclesiastical authority, have actively ventured into partisan politics or the exercise of public office. This situation has not only contravened the universal laws of the Church (cf. Canon 285 §3 and Canon 287 §2) but has also scandalised a vast majority of Christ’s faithful in the country. In light of this troubling trend, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), with deep pastoral concern and having sought clarification from the Dicastery for Evangelisation and the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, underscores the following progressive penal measures applicable in cases of transgression of the above referenced canonical norms:

1. A cleric who is culpable of violating the prohibitions established by Canon 285 §3 and Canon 287 §2, notwithstanding the appeals and two canonical warnings of his proper Ordinary (cf. Canon 1339 §1), and who has given no sign of reform, must be suspended from every exercise of the power of orders and of governance (cf. canon 1333) for an appropriate period and could also be punished with canonical sanctions, such as having to reside in a particular place or territory (cf. Canon 1336 §2, 1⁰).
2. If the cleric persists, he also incurs the delict of disobedience to ecclesiastical authority according to the norm of canon 1371 §1. In this case, the proper Ordinary, considering that this is disobedience in a grave matter about the specific ecclesial context, can ask the Dicastery for Evangelisation to apply the penalty of dismissal in poenam of the cleric from the clerical state by virtue of the faculties granted by the Holy Father.

It is also important to note that, in accordance with Canon 672, the prohibitions established in Canon 285 §3 and Canon 287 §2 apply equally to religious. Therefore, Major Superiors of Religious Institutes in Nigeria are urged to take note of these canonical provisions and ensure their diligent application within their respective jurisdictions.

We reaffirm the Church’s unequivocal prohibition against clerics actively engaging in partisan politics or assuming public office without proper ecclesiastical authorisation. This is a matter of utmost gravity, and we urge all priests to adhere faithfully to these canonical laws and embrace their sacred duties with the utmost fidelity and devotion.

May the Holy Spirit inspire us to live according to the teachings of Christ and the Church. Amen.

Given this First Day of October, in the Year of the Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Four, the Solemnity of Our Lady, Queen and Patroness of Nigeria.

+Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji                                                          +Donatus A. Ogun,OSA

Archbishop of Owerri,                                                            Bishop of Uromi

President, CBCN.                                                                   Secretary, CBCN.