Governor of Imo State Hope Uzodimma has advised churches to be wary of partisan politics, just as he admonished the clergy to resist the temptation of converting God’s houses and pulpits as soap boxes for political campaigns.
The governor spoke at the Holy Trinity Catholic Cathedral, Orlu in Imo State on the occasion of the opening session of the second plenary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
In what looks like a reminder to the church and the clergy that their roles are cut out for them, governor Uzodimma said there is need to preserve the norms that make the clergy’s moral authority inviolable.
His words: “Your Graces and Lordships, permit me to also point out, with every sense of responsibility, that I do not think it is right for some members of the clergy to convert God’s house and the pulpit to the soap box for campaigns for their preferred candidates or parties in an election season or anytime in the election cycle.
“Sadly, this has become the norm in many of our churches. My worry is that if the church drags itself into partisan politics, then it would have lost its moral authority to pontificate because it has made itself an interested party.
“Indeed, the church cannot be in the moral pedestal to preach against certain conducts of the society, if it has not gone through purification by purging itself of those who are diminishing its authority.
