Fr. Mbaka blamed the destruction on “hoodlums”, whom he said “hijacked” the peaceful protests in search of his whereabouts.
“There was a lot of mixed information. The devil entered the story,” he said, adding, “I did not clap for anybody for destroying anything. I heard that the search for Fr. Mbaka was hijacked; people joined and started breaking things.”
“I never knew that even a glass was broken. What I was praising you for was not for what was destroyed, but for your ability to search for your missing pastor,” he said, adding, “I wish to apologize to whoever misunderstood my statement.”
“I, Fr. Mbaka, standing here, I am a child of the Holy Mother Church, and all the faithful are also children of the same mother Church,” he said, adding, “I stand here to tell you that nothing can destroy the Church. I speak as a messenger of God and a mere servant.”
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He continued, “Fr. Mbaka has no problem with the Church and I do not have any problem with my bishop.”
“Enemies want to achieve that by causing discord, but I will not allow it because there is something in me that will conquer such problems. That thing is the gift of humility and obedience to the Church, to the glory of God,” Fr. Mbaka said.
He emphasized, “I can’t disobey the Church; who am I? How can somebody who has been serving the Church for 25 years come out to begin to fight the same Church? Everything in my life is for the Church.”
“We are to save the image and face of the Church, and the souls of the children of God. I am here for soul-saving; the church is not my property, because I belong to the Church,” Fr. Mbaka went on to say.
On May 6 Bishop Onaga announced a week of prayer for atonement and reparation. He described the May 5 incident as a “heinous act” against the sanctity of the Church and called on the people of God in the diocese to repent.
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.