Covid-19: Catholic opposes Wike’s Easter break, warns members

In a memo addressed to all priests of the Catholic Church in Rivers, signed by Camillus Etokudoh, the Bishop of Port-Harcourt Diocese, the church leadership has asked its members to stay at home during Easter, a gesture that disregards Governor Nyesom Wike’s relaxation of restriction in the state.

Wike, through his spokesman, Simeon Nwakaudu, explained that the ease was to enable Christians to observe their religious obligations during Easter, to permit the Muslim community to observe their Jumat prayers within the period.

But in his memo entitled “Pastoral update following Governor’s broadcast”, Bishop Etokudoh noted that in view of the threat COVID-19 poses, it was better to be careful and continue to observe social distancing, the established measure of preventing the pandemic.

“With prayerful meditation on the Holy Week, I sincerely thank you our priests and lay faithful for adhering so far to our Diocesan directives/guidelines for the celebration of the Holy Week,” the bishop wrote.

“We deeply appreciate the State-wide broadcast of the Governor of Rivers State, yesterday, on Holy Thursday, April 9, 2020 during which he temporarily relaxed the restrictions on large religious gatherings for Moslems on Friday April 10, 2020, for their prayers and for Christians on Sunday April 12, 2020 to have their full congregation for Easter celebrations.

“However, in the face of the threats of COVID-19 and having prayerfully considered the implications of the Risks to our expected crowded congregation on normal Easter Sunday celebrations, we hereby request you our priests and lay faithful to continue to keep to the CBCN and our Diocesan Pastoral directives/guidelines for the celebrations of Holy Week including Easter Sunday till further notice.”

Etokudoh blessed Nigerians and prayed for their safety during the pandemic.