The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) Laity Committee has directed the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria to implement the provisions of the Manual of the Laity to appropriately constitute membership of the Laity Council at the national level; emphasising that the current composition of the National Laity Council violates CBCN’s directive as contained in the Manual entitled “Salt of the Earth and Light of the World.” The CBCN Laity Committee made this disclosure recently in a letter addressed to Hon. Sir Henry Yunkwap, National President, Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria and signed by Most Rev. John Ebebe Ayah, Catholic Chairman for the Laity.
The Letter read in part, “The Manual specifically on page 81, paragraph 200, states that: Laity Council shall principally comprise Presidents and Secretaries of the Catholic Men Organisation (CMO), Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) and the Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON), as well as those in pious and lay apostolate organisations and associations existing at its particular level of operation, whether the parish, diocesan, provincial, national levels and international levels.” According to the CBCN Laity Committee, the present composition of the Council at National l e vel which is largely the Provincial Presidents and Secretaries of the Laity Council, Arch/Diocesan Presidents and Secretaries of the Laity Councils with minimal presence of pious and lay apostolate organisations and associations recognised by the CBCN at the national level fell short of the CBCN’s directive.
Bishop Ayah wrote, “Consequently, I hereby direct the current leadership of National Laity Council to correct this anomaly and reverse to the position of the Manual of the Laity to allow only National Presidents and Secretaries of CMO, CWO, and the CYON as well as the National Presidents and Secretaries of pious and lay apostolate organisations and associations recognised by the CBCN as members of the Laity Council at the national level. “However, the nine Provincial Presidents and Secretaries of the Laity Councils should be retained in the National Laity Council as mediators between the national and arch/diocesan laity councils.
The letter further read in parts, ” Similarly, only the National Chaplain, the Deputy National Chaplain of the Laity Council and the nine Provincial Chaplains of the Laity Councils should henceforth constitute College of Chaplains at NEC/Conferences/AGMs of the National Laity Council.” Bishop Ayah also enjoined the Catholic National Laity Council of Nigeria to amend its national constitution to reflect the directive.
