A 54 year old priest, Very Reverend Father Peter Zuni of the Parishioners of the Queen of Apostles Catholic Church, Kakuri parish in Kaduna State, had been found to have secretly married to two women.
One of the wives was said to have died some years ago, while the surviving one who leaked the age-long secret about three weeks ago, is nursing a child for the embattled priest.
The doctrine of the Catholic Church forbids men ordained into priesthood to get married. They are by obligation, to swear to an oath of celibacy and observe perfect and perpetual service for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. This, it is believed, would enable the priests to easily remain close to Christ with an undivided heart, and dedicate themselves more freely to the service of God and the congregation.
Information from the Queen of the Apostles parish, confirmed that there was a petition to the Bishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Bishop Ndagoso Manoso, that two women had children for their parish priest, an act considered to be an abomination and grave sin against the Catholic doctrine.
It was learnt that in order to cover up the priest’s ‘sin’ from spreading to the larger public, the Archdiocese allegedly organised a send off for the embattled priest to a remote village in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“During the send off, the priest was not allowed to make a farewell speech, and many people refused to take photographs with him. There was little or no felicitation with him because most of the time he was seen standing aloof under a mango tree without anybody going close to him.
“Nobody can say when the priest committed the alleged sinful act. If it happened before his ordination, he wouldn’t have been ordained, so probably it was after his ordination, and you know, God does not sleep, no matter the length of cover up, one day the bubble will burst. And the bubble has burst now”
The embattled priest told news men on phone that he was not ordained to remain and work in the city.
“I have spent five years as parish priest of Queen of Apostles, so I can work anywhere, city or village.”
On the allegation of his involvement in secret marriage to two women who bore children for him even as a Catholic priest, he neither denied nor confirmed the allegation.
“I find it difficult myself to believe what people are saying about me. I will not comment on it now. I will follow due process to invite you for an interview, but I am afraid, the newspaper of the archdiocese, The Cross News, may carry this story before you.”
Rev. Fr. Zuni said that he is currently based in Suleja, Niger State against the news that went to parishioners that the embattled priest was transferred to Gumel village in southern Kaduna.
The priest was said to have been sacked from the priesthood even as the parishioners lamented that the controversial priest’s first name, Peter, reminded them of the biblical Peter who denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Bishop Ndagoso Manoso also confirmed the report, saying that Father Zuni actually committed the sin. He said that what the priest did brought a sad moment and embarrassment to the entire archdiocese.
He said that the embattled priest was his classmate in the seminary more than 30 years ago even as he imagined the spiritual and psychological torture the priest could be going through over this sinful act. [myad]
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