Onaiyekan calls for gradual re-opening of churches

CATHOLIC Church Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has called for the gradual re-opening of worship centres, insisting that the religious centres are in a better position to control and organize people than what now obtains in the banks and markets. 
Cardinal Onaiyekan, in a statement titled: ‘COVID-19: A Case for the Resumption of Controlled Worship Gatherings in Churches and Mosques’, noted that humanity has been groping in the dark, with trial and error measures self-proclaimed experts. 
The statement reads: “It seems we are in a hopeless situation and we can only wait for the worst to befall us.
“For the believer in God, which most of us in this country are, there can be no room for despair, since we believe in God that has never ceased to be in control of His creation. We must, therefore, take seriously our faith in Him as an almighty and merciful God, who wishes nothing but what is good for His creatures, especially for humanity.
“In the church, we have rules and regulations guiding the way we meet. Before they closed worship places, they advised that there should be sanitizers, water for people to wash their hands and social distancing should be observed. There is no church against that. 
“In some states in this country where they relaxed the lockdown, they allowed worship places to open. There are no facts and figures to prove that when they relaxed the order, the pandemic became uncontrollable. The closure of worship places has nothing to do with the spread of the pandemic. 
“Let the government advise religious leaders to observe these rules. I don’t know of any religious group that would say no to it. If people go to church, they go to pray for God to give us a solution and intervene and you ask them not to go. We are calling on the government to re-open the churches, but let them follow regulations.”
Also, he said: “Our gathering would endanger the lives of not only our congregations but of the entire nation as well. 
“We succumbed to the imposition, not because we were convinced but because we do not want anyone to heap on our responsibility for any disastrous outcome of this crisis.”
He said some lessons have been learned after more than six weeks of the lockdown, adding that church leaders are in a better position to express their minds. 
He said: “That is why we are now raising questions about the validity of the suspension of our right to gather for worship.”