It has come to our notice that one of the church members who is also the financial secretary of Christ Pentecostal Mission located at a lane beside Edo Line off mission road Benin city has been arrested by the pastor of the church for a confession made to the pastor by the member.
The member who was said to be having health challenges and went to the pastor to confessed that he used to take money from church offering without permission from the pastor. He made this confession for the forgiveness of sins and to
re-unite with the body of Christ and not to return to sin again. But the pastor on his part instead of praying for him, went and called
the police for his arrest and demanded that the money be returned.
Our group, Freedom Initiative was informed by some members of the church. Inasmuch as we the members of Freedom Initiative
condemned the action of the member, we also want to condemn in entirety the action
of the pastor of the church who had broken the 'Seal of Confession' as a priest church.
According to Canon 21 of the Fourth Council of the Lateran which states that, "Let the
priest absolutely beware that he does not by word or sign or by any manner whatever in any way betray the sinner" based on this rule, there are pertinent questions we need to ask the pastor which are as follow;
1. Does the money belong to the pastor or God?
2. Is the pastor after the soul to be forgiving and be save or after the money?
3. Was the member caught by the pastor or by God?
4. Is the pastor free from this sin?
Having carefully observed this issue, We wish to call on the pastor to desist from this act
against this member and of any other members of the church because his action is against priesthood. He opt to have pray for him not to further destroy him.
Furthermore, Freedom Initiative also wish to state that the action of the pastor could lead a to a spiritual blockage a situation where church worshipers will refuse to make confession in churches in order not to be
arrested by his/her confession, this will therefore increase sins in the land since the mode of confessing sin is being truncated by this pastor.
We therefore call on the christian community, Pentecostal Christian
Body. Christian Association of Nigeria CAN and other Christian Regulatory body to call this pastor to order and to stop such
occurrence in the future to save the body of Christ from the mood.
Justice Oyamienlen Godfrey
Coordinator, Freedom Initiative.
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