By Adadareporters
The Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State says the viral news alleging one Rev Fr Jude Obasi serving under its diocese wedded his lover is fake. Our correspondent reports that Catholic priests swear an oath of celibacy.
The report claimed that the wedding took place on 25 May in Abakakili, the state capital, adding that it held at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Abakaliki
The church has however clarified that the entirety of the news was fake. The clarification was contained in a statement signed by the diocesan chancellor, Rev Fr Matthew Opoke.
According to the priest, no priest answers such name in the diocese, adding that the trending photograph “does not resemble the face of any priest” in the diocese. Opoke further stated that the diocese has no parish named Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Abakaliki.
The release read in part, “It goes without saying that the publication is fake. It was possibly fermented by a blogger who wants to gain much traffic on their social media handles.”
A civil rights activist, Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie, had earlier described the news as fake.
Quoting him, “This reported wedding is surely fake news. The Catholic Church will never wed a de-robed priest with him wearing the cassock. As a media scientist, I am now feeling sorry and embarrassed at this negative trend of using the social media to disseminate falsehood and unnecessarily attack established institutions without cause or justification.
“If it continues then it will become necessary to remove the word ‘media’ from social media and call it ‘social manipulation, social stories, social falsehood, or whatever’.”
Meanwhile, a forensic check has identified the photograph as emanating from Kenya. It also revealed that the wedding was actually between a renegade Catholic priest who denounced Roman Catholic and joined another Catholic movement that permits marriage by ordained priests.
