Samuel Ezeofor, the Anglican Bishop of Aguata Diocese in Anambra State, has kicked against the closure of churches across the country in order to curb the novel Coronavirus pandemic, describing it as “not acceptable”.
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Ezeofor expressed his reservation while delivering his 2020 Easter message at Ekwulobia in the Aguata Local Government Area of the state.
The Federal Government had declared lockdown of Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while many state governments imposed a stay-at-home order as part of measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.
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But Ezeofor insisted that the closure of churches was unnecessary, stating that that the ideal thing would have been to ask churches to maintain social distancing, urge their worshipers to use hand sanitizers and avoid shaking of hands during services.
He explained that the sanctity of the church needs to be maintained as it is the only place where powers are received through prayers.
“The Church is the only place where powers are received through prayers, hence asking for its shut down because of COVID-19, is not acceptable, he said”. He called for the prudent management of all the funds donated by individuals and groups in the ongoing fight against coronavirus to ensure accountability and called on Nigerians to turn to God for solution to the myriad of problems facing the country,” he said.
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The prelate used the occasion of Easter to advise those occupying leadership positions to emulate the humility of Jesus Christ in serving mankind. According to him, without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there would be no hope for Christians.
He also called on the faithful to use the period of Easter in building bridges of trust and good neighbourliness.
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