Nigerian Catholic, Sir Tony Nnacheta has emphasised that the main differentiation of the Catholic Church from the Pentecostals and other denominations, is the existence of celibate Priests, which is a cardinal pillar of the Roman Catholic Church. Nnacheta made this known while speaking at a virtual event, organised recently by the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COMSAM), where the topic “Some theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms and pastoral issues” was explored by participants.
In his presentation on the Church ordaining married men as Deacons, Nnacheta said changing the long-standing tradition in Nigeria that only celibate men qualify as Clergy will cause more than a storm in the country. According to him, “Any small change within the Catholic Church is always a shocker to the people as he said the Catholic Church sets itself apart for its celibate ministers. “At the present, we have examples of the Pentecostals and other denominations, and the main differentiation with the Catholics is our celibate Priests. The faithful are okay knowing that they don’t have to spend money on the wife and children of Church ministers like others in other denominations do. When you remove that, you remove a cardinal pillar of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria,” he said.
He expressed concern that allowing married men to be ordained Deacons could affect the number of vocations in the country. He said: “One of the defining characteristics of the Catholic Church in over a century is a man professed to celibacy being a Priest. This long-standing tradition is so strong that the day it will change, it will be more than a storm. The new ministry will also potentially drive young men from the seminary. “Vocations will plummet because the attraction of the family is very strong. I don’t think Nigeria is ready for that, the Church in Nigeria will suffer massively.” He said the Bishops in Nigeria can look into a recruitment process that will do minimal harm to the concept of priests being celibate if at all it must consider such a ministry.