By Benjamin Osekhojie Okoh
Your Excellencies,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I write to you today not as a distant observer, but as a lifelong member of the Catholic Church in Nigeria—specifically one who has been part of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal for over forty years. I write with deep reverence for your office, and with the heavy burden of a faithful lay Catholic who sees a disturbing trend threatening the very soul of our beloved Church.
The Nigerian Catholic Church is facing an identity crisis. What once stood as a citadel of liturgical solemnity, sacramental depth, and spiritual discipline is gradually being overtaken by a wave of Pentecostal-style distortions. This trend, I believe, requires your urgent pastoral attention, correction, and action.
I have witnessed with growing concern the Pentecostalization of our liturgies and priestly conduct. In many parishes today, particularly in charismatic gatherings, priests speak in tongues without interpretation, engage in noisy performances and emotional theatrics that mimic Pentecostal worship, and organize so-called “prophetic” crusades filled with unverifiable visions and manipulative utterances. This is not Catholic spirituality; it is spectacle without substance, noise without meaning.
The sacred celebration of the Eucharist is sometimes reduced to an arena of entertainment. The Word of God is frequently sidelined for unstructured emotional outbursts, while reverent silence—so central to the Catholic encounter with the divine—is cast aside. The altar, where Christ is made present, is treated as a performance stage rather than a place of sacrifice and mystery.
Most troubling is the rise of disturbing prophetic declarations and fear-driven utterances by Catholic priests. I personally had to walk out of a crusade in my parish, Mary the Queen Catholic Church, Ekpoma, when a visiting priest made a public “prophecy” that a named number of nurses in a particular hospital were “marked for d£ath”. This was at a time when they had lost some nurses. Such statements sow fear, not faith. They mimic the tactics of charlatans and spiritual manipulators who prey on emotional vulnerability. This is not our tradition. This is not our Church.
Moreover, the increasing attachment of some priests to material wealth, the prosperity gospel, and status-seeking behaviors has led to the gradual abandonment of the vow of poverty. Our priests, once icons of simplicity and spiritual strength, now risk being perceived as entrepreneurs and performers. Sermons are increasingly dominated by financial appeals and transactional spirituality.
Your Excellencies, I write this not to accuse, but to plead. The Nigerian Church has been a light on the continent and a home for millions seeking truth, structure, and the Sacraments. We cannot lose our distinctiveness in an effort to be popular. The Cross of Christ does not need embellishment. The Mass does not require entertainment. The priesthood is not a stage for drama.
In light of these growing concerns, I respectfully call on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria to:
- Reinforce liturgical discipline and theological training, ensuring that charismatic expressions remain rooted in Catholic teaching and do not mimic Pentecostal excesses.
- Evaluate and regulate all prophetic and healing ministries within the Church, preventing abuses that confuse or exploit the faithful.
- Strengthen formation programs for seminarians and priests, emphasizing the vows of poverty, obedience, and celibacy, as well as fidelity to the Church’s liturgical and spiritual heritage.
- Develop clear pastoral guidelines for charismatic renewal groups to help preserve Catholic identity while encouraging authentic expressions of the Holy Spirit.
- Help the faithful discern and resist spiritual manipulation, teaching them to value truth, scripture, and sacramental life over emotionalism and sensationalism.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria does not need to become Pentecostal to be powerful. We already possess the fullness of the faith—the Eucharist, apostolic succession, the Magisterium, and a moral tradition that has withstood centuries. Let us not surrender our heritage in search of popularity. Let us not abandon silence for shouting, nor sacred mystery for entertainment.
Your Excellencies, we, the faithful, look to you for guidance, correction, and courage in defending the Church from within. Preserve our altars, reform our priests, and protect the generations to come. The time to act is now.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Benjamin Osekhojie Okoh
Lay Catholic, Member of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
10th May 2025
