pope

Blog, On This Day

On this day: Pope Pius IX was elected.

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On this day 1846: The Papal conclave elected Pope Pius IX who reigned for almost 32 years till his death on February 7, 1878 making him the longest serving Pope in history. Born on 13 May 1792, in Senigallia, Italy, Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti was a frail child with a lively intelligence. He moved to Rome in 1809 for higher education but was forced to abandon his studies twice because of illness. He later became a catechist in 1816 and was ordained a priest in 1819. He served in many capacities in Italy and Chile until 1827 when he was consecrated Archbishop of Spoleto at the age of 35. In the aftermath of the failed revolution in 1931, he obtained a pardon for all, including many who did not merit it. And in 1840 he received the Cardinal’s hat at the age of 48. He remained of modest conduct shunning many honours but fate brought the greatest of them on the 16th of June 1846 when he was elected Pope.  

Essays, Writers

What Happens When Like Poles Are Allowed To Attract by Ebube Ezeadum.

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    Back in school, our physics teacher used the principles of a magnet to hammered a point. He taught that the like poles of the magnet repel and the unlike ends attract. In English language, I was perturbed by the numerous exceptions to various laws — laws like the past tense of fight is fought but the past tense of light isn’t in the “-ought” family; it’s lit. Here, we the students argued with our teachers and we only got defeated with the phrase, “that is just how it is meant to be; some exceptions are accepted.” When the Pope made a declaration that same sex marriage should be approved, I realized that even some exceptions have an exception. In the year 2010, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who now bears the regnal name Francis, once spoke against the institution of same-sex marriage [1][2]. However, when he became Elected as Pope Francis, his ideation transformed from segregating homosexuals to accepting them as humans that they are. But there is more to this than what he thinks about making this endorsement. The holy father, Pope Francis stated that the LGBTQ Catholics should not be ostracized; he made it known that they are children of God. But the fact is that he didn’t stop at saying that the homosexuals should as well be loved and prayed for just like the straight, he publicly announced their full acceptance of their sexual orientation in the church. What does the bible say? Love your enemies and pray for them. Matthew 5:44 The Homosexuals are not our enemies — their ways are! The bible never said that we should accept their norms in the guise of “love and whole acceptance.” In Mark 2:13–17, it was recorded that Jesus dined with sinners. But he didn’t accept their ways in the name of trying to prove he had ‘‘love and acceptance’’ of them. His dining with them meant that he said ‘‘No’’ to discrimination and welcomes them despite their shortcomings in morality, but it ends there. If a woman, say Mrs. Dorcas, loves her husband so passionately yet she hated the fact that he sniffs in cocaine every night and smokes his life out at the corridor. Would Mrs. Dorcas make her husband change his ways by joining him or endorsing his actions by doing what he does too? Effect of This Endorsement On the Marriage of the Church My mother once told me something. She said, ‘‘If Mrs. Horse knocks on your door during a cold night and asks, ‘could I just put my head inside your house so it can be warm?’’ you would probably agree, saying it is only a little favor. And again she would ask for one of her legs in and then another, and soon, her whole body is suddenly in the house!’’ What I am trying to say is that when an endorsement like this is made, it would only lead to greater issues — we shouldn’t be surprised when some set of people start pleading to marry dogs and cow or even inanimate objects. In addition, the endorsement of the same sex marriage lucidly gives room for biblical disobedience. The bible, in Ephesians 5:31, unanimously states that a man would leave his parents and marry a woman he would call wife. The bible never said ‘‘a man would leave his parents to marry a person of the same sex. Contrasting even the life manual of Christians places a comma on such pronouncements made by Pope Francis. Endorsing same sex marriage can be likened to the endorsement of idol worship with pagans to show our ‘‘love and acceptance’’ of them. The institution of the Christian marriage is clearly threatened. When a particular action is legalized by the Pope, the bishops and priests are obliged to follow through and when they are licensed to do so, they would have more ‘‘candidates’’ who openly want to share vows with a same-sex spouse. The sad thing about this is that is not only promoting sin, it is also promoting a trend which other churches may soon start to follow leading a large number of Christians astray. One disastrous thing about a leader being wrong is that a lot of followers just follow — and the follower could be ridiculously large in number. This is similar to a case that happened during the COVID-19 outbreak. Many Americans died due to carelessness of their leader. Donald Trump, the then president of USA administered Chloroquine as a cure for the virus [3]. Although many people knew chloroquine as a drug for Malaria, they still took it anyway. Why? Because Mr. Trump is a leader and leaders are most often listened to. Way forward -Christians need to unitedly pray for the religious leaders to make the right decision. – Christians should set their priorities right — obedience to Jesus over religion. – Marriages in the church should solely remain as one man and one woman as instructed by our creator. – The church should make rules based on biblical doctrines and care should be taken to avoid contradiction of the word of God. – The church should adopt the preaching of love and care for all without endorsing non biblical standards as a buttressing point for doing so. Bad things happen when rules, set especially by God, are bent. It would only be viewed as abnormal when like poles are allowed to attract. The same-sex marriage is totally against the law of God. And its endorsement, no matter what, wrongly shows superiority in knowledge over God. This is a terrible start as God’s wrath could be a very bitter thing to invoke. And so, we should let the unlike poles attract and the like repel as God has designed them. If we are to love the homosexuals, it should be from our heart, and not made a general issue by incorporating their sexual orientation into the church. REFERENCES [1] Park Paul (2015) ‘Why Do Popes Change Their Names?’ Mental Floss (September 28, 2020). Retrieved at: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/69072/why-do-popes-change-their-names (Assessed:

Essays, Writers

A Quantum Shift In The Wrong Direction by Folarin Oluwatimilehin.

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  Redefining the institution of Christian marriage   It was a bright Saturday. Whether I knew the celebrant or not, I had no idea. But all I could remember was that I fell into a reverie. Possibly, and more accurately, it was an unperceived consternation. The syncopated sound of the trumpet saturated the atmosphere and captivated my heart.  The blissful melodic resonances suddenly took me away, and strangely, I set my eyes on two men: one dressed in a stunning black suit, while the other man was decorated in a red shining gown. Making a 45 degree turn to my younger brother, I could read the heavy lines around his eyes. We were both shocked by what we were seeing. A man marrying a man was the weirdest thing we have ever experienced. Thankfully, we were watching the wedding on the television, and it only cost me to press a button on the remote to save our eyes from the strange thing we saw. According to Merriam Webster’s student Dictionary, marriage is the legal relationship which a man and a woman enter for the purpose of making a home and often for raising a family. Usually, marriage can be described as an obligation between a man and a woman, stalwartly reinforced with love, support, care, togetherness, tolerance, and coherence. A family birthed from marriage represents a colossal of fused idiosyncrasies enduring the storms of life to create a better tomorrow for the coming generations. All of the highlighted explanations were all missing in the strange wedding we found ourselves watching on a Saturday morning. “… what you think is right isn’t the same as knowing what is right.”― E.A. Bucchianeri “Act11:26 – And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught many people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” Undoubtedly, there are countless numbers of faith-based organizations in the world, and the religious disparity boils down to various individual beliefs that extensively have some attachments to the supernatural being which they put their faith in.  However, Christianity as it is widely well-known due to its origin can be traced back to Jesus Christ – a unique paranormal being that came to the world for the redemption of sin.  No doubt, Christianity is a respected religion that is soaked in the reality of Almighty God, who tremendously manifests as an omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient creature.   Being a young boy who grew up in a Christian home, homosexuality is one of the most prohibited acts widely talked about. Shockingly, Pope Francis’s endorsement for same-sex civil unions, which was first revealed from an interview in 2019, and was premiered in a broadcast on October 21st, 2020, has stolen the subject of discussion. The news came all of a sudden, graduated from a shock to a decision that seems to have come to stay. No one expected that such pronouncement will come from a reputable pope so much that the entire world, especially the Christian faith was thrown into discombobulation. Exasperatingly, Pope Francis who is vehemently aware of what is right decided to fall victim of beating around what he contemplates to be right due to pressure from the LGBTQ group. This has, however, questioned the much respect many people have for the Christian community. The decision to legalize same-sex civil union has harvested extensive media attention and robust antiphons if truly the legacy Jesus laid-down for the Christians has faded, or gradually overthrown by the pressure from some set of wealthy individuals. While some people have reiterated their outright rejection of the Pope’s decision, some still erroneously think the announcement vibrated profoundly the beginning of a mutually inclusive worship atmosphere for all. So sad that the world of the Christian faith seems to be tearing away from the intended purpose it was created. At the point, we need to understand that standing by what we truly know to be right should be undiluted! “Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.”― Leo Tolstoy “2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” It is quite disheartening and paradoxical that Christianity has been immensely abused by the influx of corrupt minds using the religion as a means to fuel their selfish interest rather than upholding the truth embedded in the Holy Bible. Fundamentally, there are three key conceptions about marriage which include: procreation (having children), problem-solving, and purposeful unification. Yet, some set of people want these basic concepts about marriage to be defiled by endorsing the idea of same-sex civil union. This is not just abuse of the serenity of the Christian faith, but also, an obstruction to the strong possibilities of the expansion of human beings on the face of the earth. Can the union between the same gender lead to childbirth? Definitely, No! Within the perimeter of the church, Pope Francis has activated cruel reactions from the Catholics who are afraid that his steps might divide the church or even fragment it. After meticulously pillaging my environment, I found out that we have entered an era where ample numbers of people find pleasure in things that seem to be culturally erroneous. For the preservation of the future, we need to make it sink into our mind that “Wrong does not cease to be wrong because of the majority share in it.”   “Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.” ― Saint Augustine “Gen2:23-24 – And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Francis, who happens to be

Blog, Reverie

Salvation is that simple.

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Love your neighbour as yourself, there is no commandment greater than these.~ Mark 12:31 Simple and straightforward, many agree that the above commandment is the greatest as rightly stated by Christ himself. In the preceding verse, he had instructed us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”  As we grow older, there is an ever-increasing tendency to question our faith and belief, the persistent worry about how life will end and what portends thereafter is never too far from the mind. Even the extremist atheists cannot deny that they sometimes marvel at our universe and wonder how it all came to be despite various theories of evolution. Tell me you don’t believe in God or gods I can agree but you will never convince anyone that you have no inner voice, that second voice deep inside that queries your action and decision is not just your conscience but it represents a power beyond the physical. It is a greater YOU that connects with a superior being richer in wisdom and knowledge. Some time ago, I came across a CNN news story on how the Pope told the Catholic flock that it is better to be an atheist than a fake Christian. He said:  “So many Christians are like this (hypocrites), and these people scandalise others. How many times have we heard — all of us, around the neighbourhood and elsewhere — ‘But to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’ It is that: scandal. But what is scandal? Scandal is saying one thing and doing another No other Pope in recent times has questioned the practice of the Christian doctrine viz-a-viz the simple instructions of Christ-like the current Pontiff. This has endeared him to many, believers and non-believers alike including my humble self.  The point made by the Pope somewhat reechoes Christ’s greatest commandment in the book of Mark. One cannot rightly claim to be a Christian by mere word of mouth, it is pure hypocrisy. The instructions of the one we claim to follow were equally lived out by him. I, therefore cannot deceive myself that by going to church and giving huge tithes every Sunday salvation is assured. I am an Anglican but I schooled in College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC), a Catholic school in Enugu the Eastern part of Nigeria. That period of my life helped in shaping my non-denominational attitude toward Christianity. I attend the nearest church unless I have reasons to go to a farther one and more often than not item 7 is involved, else I just go and worship in any nearby church. One decision I still regret was not allowing my daughter to partake in the first communion with her classmates in her 2nd class. That decision was not necessarily because I am an Anglican or that I dislike Catholics, far from it, I just didn’t want to spend so much money hosting a grand occasion as is traditional is Ireland on the first communion. Moreover, I wouldn’t have been around as I was still stuck in Nigeria in pursuit of greenbacks. Silly and selfish as hosting a large reception isn’t mandatory neither was my presence. Now I am more than glad later on this year she will be attending the same Catholic secondary school with her classmates. During the tour of the school and introductory session I attended last month, the principal told us that theirs is a school run on strict adherence to Catholic doctrines, she however also stated that they welcome pupils of all faiths. She went on to say that they teach core values centred around love, respect and caring for each other.  Seated a few yards away from us were a Muslim couple, the woman wore a hijab and her husband I assumed looked relaxed among many Christian parents. The kind of atmosphere I love to savour and I hope to bring up my kids to cherish same too. The guiding principle should always be love, not just in words but in actions, by caring for those around you especially the less privileged. This is what humanity is all about and I honestly believe that salvation cannot be attained without it. It is for this reason that I get irritated at self-pontificating pastors who mount the pulpit daily to recite the scriptures, yet cannot practice what they preach. After all, John queried how one could possibly claim to love God whom we cannot see when you do not love your neighbour who is right here with you. The Pope has seen that some atheists are doing good daily, loving and caring more than Christians, yet somehow these are supposed to be people who do not believe in the divinity of any being. The ones daily being condemned to damnation by our so-called men of God. Yet some of them emulate Christ better than the Bible-wielding preachers.   I sure feel the holy father’s message and I’m sure it resonates with many of us. Life’s journey can be hectic but there will always be periods of quiet and calm when you meditate just by yourself. We should endeavour to use those periods to think about doing good and questioning whether our actions deserve earthly applause let alone a heavenly one.  Altogether there seems to be a consensus that the heavenly race or transition to the afterlife is a solo journey. I sum up mine with simple logic: It is better to believe while here on earth and get there to find out it was make-believe than to disbelieve and get there to find out it is real. In the latter case, however, if you did good while here on earth our heavenly father is kind enough to forgive your disbelief even on that judgment day. That is my extrapolation of the Pope’s message.      

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