Winners’ Chapel Introduces Payment Of Tithes Using Phone Dial Codes

Na wa ooh, I haven’t confirmed this report, but the photo of the above billboard was spotted in Covenant University. When it comes to church issues, i try to say as little as possible.
After all, the good book says that one should not judge their neighbor.
P.S: By now you all must have heard that Pastor Chris Okotie has decided to run for president of Nigeria again, claiming that God asked him too AGAIN!!!
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Pope Francis Names 19 New Cardinals

Pope Francis on Sunday named 19 new cardinals, 16 of whom will hold voting rights in the conclave that elects the pontiff.
The 16 new cardinals under the age of 80 — who can vote in the conclave — include four Italians, two from other European countries, five from South America, one North American, two Africans and two Asians.
With the geographical division of his first batch of cardinals, the pope appeared to place a greater emphasis on what he terms the “periphery” of the Roman Catholic Church at the expense of the centre.
The cardinals will be officially appointed on February 22, bringing the conclave up to 122 members.
The pope also baptised in the Sixtine Chapel 32 children including one from a single mother. [AFP]

T.B. Joshua Debunks Rumours On Malawi President

The Synagogue Church of All Nations, has debunked rumours spreading around that Malawi’s President Joyce Banda, has received a prophecy from Prophet T.B. Joshua that she will only be president for another two years after the 2014 elections are totally false.

The church said in a statement on Saturday that the rumours are mischievous and originated from the “father, the sons and daughters of lies”.

“There are rumours spreading around that T.B. Joshua has given Malawi’s President, Joyce Banda, a prophecy about the 2014 elections and told her that she will be President for only two years. These rumours are 100 per cent false and are not from Prophet T.B. Joshua or The SCOAN,” the Facebook statement read.

“Do not listen to the father of lies, the sons of lies and the daughters of lies,” it added.

Banda was spotted arriving T.B. Joshua’s church in Lagos Nigeria, Thursday, for prayers from a man she calls her ‘spiritual godfather’. It was her second visit in recent weeks to the Nigerian church. SEE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Calabar Churches Petitions Imoke Over Carnival On Sunday

As Calabar remains agog with its annual carnival, churches in the Cross River State capital, under the aegis of Christian Youth Action Group (CYAG), have advised the state government not to stage carnival on Sunday again.

According to the group, Sunday was the Sabbath (or holy day), and should not be desecrated…and the movement of Christians on such a day should not be restricted.

In a petition written to Governor Liyel Imoke, CYAG said it was unholy to organise carnival dry run along major roads of Calabar that are used by Christians on Sunday to access their worship centres, noting that the ban on movement on such routes prevent them from worshiping. SEE MAIN SOURCE

Carnival dry run is a rehearsal by both the children and adult bands of Carnival Calabar to prepare them for the main carnivals that hold on December 26 and 27 of every year. On such dry run days, the designated routes are closed to traffic from 12 noon, preventing vehicular mobility within the city centre.

In the petition signed by Effiong Udowong, Akpabio E., Lawrence Stephen, Theodore Effiong, Ephraim Effiong, Eugene Nyong, Elijah Effiong, Pastor Wisdom Asuquo, Martins Otudor and Helen Eze, all members of executive of CYAG, the governor was advised to find an alternative day to Sunday “as Christians cannot be stopped from worshiping God.”

“The spirit of carnival is seductive and distortive, hence the high rate of HIV/AIDS in the state. Most churches that run shift are always deprived the opportunity to do so because they are forced to shut down. The introduction of carnival has led to the increase of street children around our state capital and the vices therein,” the group said.

The group urged Governor Imoke not to make inglorious history by having churches shut down during his tenure.

Shut-up if You Don't Want to be Disgraced’ – Okogie Told Chris Okotie

A retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has warned the Senior Pastor of the Household of God Church International, Lagos, Chris Okotie, against speaking out of ignorance or face public ridicule.

The cardinal was reacting to a recent controversial comment credited to Okotie that “all Catholics will go to hell”.

The flamboyant Okotie had while criticizing the Catholic Church in a sermon, said the church was “a counterfeit church set up by Satan”, adding that Catholics “bow to idols and crucify Jesus every Sunday when they eat bread claiming they are eating Jesus’ body”. SEE MAIN SOURCE

The comment has since generated widespread condemnation from Catholics, who fumed over the propriety or otherwise of such a comment. But Okotie stood his ground saying “Truth is bitter”, in apparent response to the reaction his sermon generated.

Describing the Catholic Church as “a counterfeit church set up by Satan,” Okotie said, “They (Catholics) are not Christians and have never been. They don’t know Jesus. They believe that when they eat bread on Sundays, they are eating the body of Jesus. its ritual”, he added.

Okogie, however, flayed the comment saying it was wrong for the 55-year-old pastor to speak on what he knew little or nothing about.

He said, “It is always good to talk on what you know, not on what you do not know. The problem we have today is that a lot of people put their mouth in what does not concern them because they want people to know that they too are there; that they can be reckoned with.

“I don’t think that is the way to do things, no. I think the best thing is to always put your mouth where God puts it, if you don’t want to be disgraced”, Okogie warned.

Boko Haram: CAN Urges FG To Take Latest Threat Seriously

The Northern section of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has urged the federal government and security agencies to take the latest threat against Christians by the Boko Haram terrorist group with all seriousness, to avert further destruction of lives and property.

The religious body also urged Christians all over the country to be vigilant, prayerful and to take the security of their environment very seriously.

The Northern CAN, covering the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in a reaction to recent threats by the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, maintained that Christians have always believed that the Islamic sect was out to wipe out Christianity and urged the Presidency and its security apparatus to buckle up before the sect and its sponsors plunge the country into chaos.

Reports said Shekau sent an email to some journalists, declaring that the sect was fighting President Jonathan and his Christian brethren, and that Nigerians should be under no illusion that the sect was not fighting a religious war. SEE MAIN SOURCE

“They try to brainwash the people that we are fighting an ethnic war. No, we are fighting a religious war, we are fighting Jonathan, we are fighting Christians”, Shekau was reported to have said in the email.

Reacting to the development however, spokesman of Northern CAN, Mr. Sunday Oibe said the Christian community in Nigeria has never been deceived from the fact that the issue of Boko Haram is a religious war against Christianity.

“We have been saying this loud and clear that Boko Haram is out to eliminate Christianity but some people, who want to play politics out of this, said Boko Haram is not a declaration of war against Christianity.

“Now what the Islamic group is saying is a confirmation of what we have always believed. But the question we want to ask is this: what has Christians done to them? We have tolerated them (Boko Haram) for a long time and we want to tell them that there is a limit to which we can tolerate the killing of Christians and the destruction of their property.

“We want to tell them that no country survives a religious war and they should not plunge this country into any of that”, Oibe said.

Speaking further, he noted, “the fact that Christians have tolerated all murderous and destructive activities of Boko Haram for too long do not mean they would be allowed to continue with their evil, inhuman and ungodly act.”

Oibe, who said the threat was a declaration of war against the Nigerian society, therefore called on the Presidency and the security agencies to take the threat very seriously.

He also appealed to Muslim leaders in the North to call the sect members to order and stop them from attacking Christians, adding that Christians were not the problem of the North.

“If it is the issue of poverty in the North, it is not the Christians that are responsible for that; it is the Northern Muslims that rule this country for many years that should be held responsible for the poverty in the North, not the Christians.

“In fact the Christians are the most disadvantaged people, particularly in the north. They deny us of things that will make life meaningful to us. Christians in the North are being marginalised and discriminated, so why is Boko Haram declaring war on Christians.

“We are using this opportunity to call on the international community to take this latest threat with all seriousness by cooperating with the Nigerian government to protect the lives and property of Christians and flush these people out of our society.

“We urged Christians in every community across the country to be very vigilant, to be prayerful and to take the security of their environment very, very seriously.

“This was how they issued their threats in the past and they carried out their attacks. The federal government and the security agencies and indeed well-meaning Nigerians must not allow Boko Haram, their agents and sponsors to succeed again in their evil deeds,” Oibe said.

Kemi Olunloyo: “I am proud to Cancel Pastor Adeboye’s Rally In Ibadan” – Insults Him Again

Controversial Canada-based socialite who landed the country after being deported from Toronto in August of last year is claiming authority over the capital city of Oyo State, Ibadan.

Kemi Olunloyo grew popular from her constant insults and exposing of Pastors on her Facebook page.

The latest Pastor on her agenda is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.

Hours after a scheduled rally at Adamasingba stadium was cancelled by Pastor Adeboye, Kemi has taken credit for the cancellation.

Hear was she told her fans yesterday:

  People are starving on the streets and many don’t have light or water. Adeboye is not planning to move around the city today to give to the poor. Instead, he is planning to cause fanatical gridlock around Adamasingba.
I simply told RCCG, I will organize a poverty PROTEST. Take that rally to Borno state. He’s heading to Ilorin now in his private jet.
#BREAKING Adeboye’s trip to Ibadan tomorrow CANCELLED!
No more rally at Adamasingba stadium.
This city does not need fanatism.
#Wonderful
7 days to go!
I am the MOST hated woman in Nigeria now just like Kim Kardashian is the most hated in America. We are LOVING it.  BE HATED! Don’t HATE!
RCCG COUNTDOWN: ZERO more days and its over for Pastor Adeboye.
Good Morning Ibadan. To all my REAL loyal fans in this city, THANK U for helping me SUCCEED in stopping Adeboye’s Expressway church from infiltrating our city.
We don’t need all that here. Our people are starving on the streets and many don’t have light or water. Adeboye is not planning to move around the city today to give to the poor. Instead, he is planning to cause fanatical gridlock around Adamasingba and a total disaster that will cost our city MONEY we have to pay the NPF to direct traffic and many of you stuck under Mokola bridge on your way to Shoprite for food shopping.
Take that nonsense elsewhere. I counted down here that it WON’T happen cos GOD said so. Not today, I wrote them that I will organize a huge protest disrupting his preaching. We don’t want fanatical Christianity anymore.

On a related note, Kemi is also believing that God will give her a husband for Christmas, LOL!! SEE ORIGINAL SOURCE.......

Mega Church Pastor Dies In Hotel Room of Drug Overdose

More than two years after the mysterious death of Pastor Zachery Tims in a New York City hotel room, the cause is now known: a toxic, fatal combination of cocaine and heroin.
The New York Medical Examiner’s Office released the cause of death Thursday after a drawn-out legal battle by the Apopka preacher’s mother, Madeline Tims, to keep the cause sealed.
The NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s release says Tims died of “acute intoxication by the combined effects of cocaine and heroin. Manner of death: Accident.” The release came after a New York appellate court ruling Dec. 10 upheld a lower court decision that the Medical Examiner’s office had the authority to release the cause of death, according to a spokesperson with the law firm representing Madeline Tims.
Officials from Tims’ church, New Destiny Christian Center, did not return a call for comment. Riva Tims, his former wife, also did not respond to a request for comment. Tims, 42, died in the W Hotel on Aug. 12, 2011. Although the New York Police Department ruled no foul play in his death, published reports said police found a packet of powder in his pants pockets — spawning speculation that he died of a drug overdose.
Tims, who grew up in Baltimore, was candid about his past, which included violence and drug addiction as a teenager. In the eulogy at Tims’ funeral, evangelist T.D. Jakes characterized Tims as an imperfect man who ministered to imperfect people.
“He tried hard to heal himself, to fix himself,” said Jakes, chief pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas. Tims was open to his congregation of about 7,500 about his own failings — including his life of crime and drugs as a young person and the infidelity that cost him his marriage in 2009.
Riva Tims filed for divorce in 2008 and she started her own church, Majestic Life Ministries, in Orlando. Initially stated as “irreconcilable differences,” the real reason behind the divorce, according to Riva Tims, seen below, was her husband’s alleged “multiple and repeated extramarital s*xual affairs.”
In interviews following her former husband’s death, Riva Tims said she knew of Zachery’s drug abuse in the past, but didn’t know he was still using drugs. “I had no idea it was so much. I’ll put it this way: It’s one thing to have a struggle; it’s another thing to have a lifestyle,” Riva Tims told Ebony magazine. “When it’s a struggle, there’s grace. But when it’s a lifestyle, there’s no grace.”
After Tims’ death, and the selection of Paula White as his successor, Riva launched a failed effort to regain control of the church she started with Zachery in 1996. Together, the couple grew New Destiny into one of the largest churches in Central Florida.
New Destiny built a $3.4 million, 34,000-square-foot center in Apopka as a safe place where area youths could hang out after school.
Zachery Tims left behind four children.

Catholics Open Battle against Chris Okotie Over Comment

This is a ‘complicated’ season for popular Lagos Pastor, Rev. Chris Okotie, even as he prepares to honour the first female one-star General in the Nigerian Airforce, Air Commodore Habiba Garba.

She is the winner of  Okotie’s  Household of God Church’s  Karis Award for the year and she will be honoured on Sunday at the Church in Lagos.
Damning widespread criticisms continue to hit a statement credited to the controversial preacher and televangelist,  declaring that all “Catholics will go to hell.” Indeed, this seems to be threatening to take the shine of the annual Karis Award.
The event is a brain child of Okotie  who established it to  honour Nigerians who have excelled in various fields, but who may not have been recognised by the larger society.
The pastor is alleged to have made the remarks while delivering a sermon last Sunday. The controversial statement partly goes thus, “The Catholic church is a counterfeit church set up by Satan. Catholics bow to idols and crucify Jesus every Sunday when they eat bread claiming they are eating Jesus’ body.”
Okotie tried to justify his claims by adding that his statements are “not out of disrespect but out of respect for the word of God.”
Apart from the fact that he has not debunked the claim, a post on his Facebook account on Tuesday afternoon reinforces the argument.  It simply read, “Re- Catholicism: Truth is bitter. It lacks saccharine delights.”
The statement has further led to more outrage by his Facebook fans and other aggrieved persons, just as his Facebook  page has been besieged by angry Nigerians who have failed to see reasons with him.
Not surprising, most of the comments have been uncomplimentary as the Man of God has been tagged with unprintable names. The ensuing controversy has also pitched Okotie and Catholic faithful against one another on Twitter and Facebook.
A group called Nigerians Catholics on Facebook have issued a statement to this effect. The body claimed that Okotie was simply seeking cheap publicity in its statement.
The administrator of the page wrote, “The unguarded utterances of Chris Okotie to fellow Christians who chose to practise their dogma in their own way shows how irresponsible and ill-mannered he is.
“Antagonising another church with a different principle of worshiping,  but with no difference in faith professed, portrays Christ Okotie in bad light and casts negative shadows on his purported ministry in Christendom.
“Chris Okotie should know that if over 1 billion Catholics will go to hell because of the way they worship their God, he too is not exempted.
“I want to state clearly to Chris Okotie that over 1 billion Catholics going to hell will only happen in the figment of his imagination.
“In fact, if I am to use what is written in the Bible concerning marriage and divorce to humanly judge Chris Okotie, then he is already number one candidate of hell.”
On his part, Kingsley Williams wrote, “ l think we all need to pray for Pastor Chris; honestly, before it gets out of hand.”
Ifeoma  Goodluck, only offered prayers for the Catholic church, as she also posted, “No weapon formed against Catholic Church shall prosper, In Jesus name. Amen.’’
However, some people came to the defence of the controversial pastor, with one of them being Wilfa Wilfred, who simply said, “Please,  insulting Chris and calling him names shows a lack of faith by baby Christians. Just pray to God to forgive him. I am not a catholic but it is only God that knows his true worshipers.”
Just like Wilfred, a certain Peter Edaile also stated on Facebook, “It also lacks sugar and honey delights but contains salt.”
Enough on the controversial statements, anyway.
Mixed reactions have also greeted what many members of the the public termed a decision to hold a beauty pageant in the church this Sunday. But the church has since taken to its official Facebook to explain the concept behind what is perceived to be a beauty pageant.
It explained that the competition tagged Queen Esther pageant competition is geared towards selecting an ambassador for the church.
“The evening usually features the parade and display of beautiful women in costumes inspired by popular female bible characters. The contestant with the most creative costume is then crowned as the Queen Esther and gets a cash prize of one million naira,” the post read.

Catholics Will Go To Hell – Chris Okotie

In what will be very shocking to some, and taken with a pinch of salt by others who has lost respect for the pastor who has married and divorced twice despite how much God hates divorce, according to the bible, Pastor Chris Okotie has said all Catholics in the world will go to hell.
The pastor of the Household of God Church gave his reason for condemning Catholics to hell as ‘because they worship Satan and are led by an Anti-Christ Pope who is a friend to the devil’. His assertion left his congregation stunned, Sunday, according to PM News.
Okotie said the Catholic Church was “a counterfeit church set up by Satan” and that Catholics “bow to idols and crucify Jesus every Sunday when they eat bread claiming they are eating Jesus’ body.”
“They are not Christians and have never been,” Okotie told a bewildered congregation.
“They don’t know Jesus. They believe that when they eat bread on Sundays, they are eating the body of Jesus. It’s ritual,” Okotie said.
He also alleged that Pope Francis is an Anti-Christ who does the job of the devil and that time is fast approaching when the Catholic church will pledge allegiance to Satan.
“The pope is an Anti-Christ and the Catholic church will soon declare for Satan. This is the end of times,” Okotie erupted.
He advised members of his church to come to the rescue of Catholics and evangelise them. This, he said, was not out of disrespect but out of respect for the word of God.
He said those who know the truth should bring it to those who do not know it in the Catholic Church.
Okotie said one of the Catholic most revered Popes, Pope John Paul 11, surrendered the Catholic Church to Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, instead of Jesus himself. He said even the current Pope Francis has also done same.
He said Catholics are not Christians and do not worship the same Christ that he preaches in his church, at least the one spoken about in the Bible.
Okotie admitted he did not write the Bible, but it was clear to him that those in the Catholic church were lost and were heading to hell fire.
“They don’t believe in heaven. They believe in purgatory, the purgatory that they invented,” Okotie said.
“That church, the Catholic church has been there for Satan and at the right time, they will declare for Satan,” Okotie said.
The controversial pastor who once said God told him he would lead Nigeria, said a beauty pageant will take place in his church next Sunday to select the most beautiful woman in his church.
This is not the first time Okotie is condemning a church or people to hell, he once said famous preacher and philanthropist, Prophet T.B. Joshua is the son of the devil and his followers will go straight to hell.

TB Joshua On President Jonathan, God’s Talking To Him, Private Jets, Going To Restroom … And Many More

Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua of the Synagogue Church of all Nations opens up on multiple controversies surrounding him and his ministry.

On being humble:  If you have passed through what I have passed through, you will even be more humble than I am.
I have good health, and God shows me what I would have been in terms of sickness and death; it humbles me, and I want to use my good health for him. At times, God shows me how people are suffering and the thought that it could have been me keeps me humble. For instance, if I did anything wrong during this interview, when you may have left, God will caution me. If I am not humble, I will be out of track. If I was not in the house of God, I would be one of the touts in the motor parks.
On his ministry being seemingly more popular outside Nigeria than in Nigeria: I want to offer the same prayer for you: that God should make you more popular outside your country than in your country.
Let other countries introduce you to your country. I think that is better. As it is written in the Bible, a prophet has no honour in his country. I am not an evangelist or a pastor, I am a prophet. It is the word prophet that was used in that scriptural passage, not evangelist or so. If my people had understood the work from the beginning, it could have affected the glory of God in my life today. If people understand your vision from the beginning, you may not go far. It is better they don’t, they will understand later, and by then, you would have been very strong and God would have strengthened your desire. Praises and adoration can make you a local champion.
Where are the people that Nigerians praised from the beginning? I can mention some – even men of God, who are no longer living today, so many founders – CAC, Cherubim and Seraphim, Church of the Lord and so on. We should get this understanding that those who were local champions in the past did not reach international recognition.
Look beyond the ministry job to the secular world, was it Nigeria that introduced Prof. Wole Soyinka to the world? But when he became a Nobel Laureate, he became more powerful; when he talks, everyone wants to listen. Whereas there were some other local champions that even when they were dying, nobody took their news to CNN. They don’t know them.
God has a way of raising people by throwing the image to the international community. Even the footballers that are notable became acceptable to Nigerians when they belong to international clubs. I may not be accepted by some people in Nigeria but my acceptance in the world has been announcing me to my world. When you look at the people working with me, you see that the ratio of Nigerians working with me are not more than 10 per cent.
On special attraction that brings heads of government to synagogue: You have said it all, where there is demand, there is supply, and in that place, there would be enough anointing to do the work. God will not allow people to go to a place where there is no supply. It is not possible. I observe that if three chairs are added to this church today, you suddenly find people filling it and if four are removed, it is just the number of people that will fill the chairs that will come.
I have studied that from the beginning. Sometimes, when I see some ministries printing handbills, using signboards to advertise the church, I say those things are not necessary. God is the one inviting people, if you allow him to do it, the solution to their problems will be waiting for them. But if you take it upon yourself to do the advertisement, people that God is not expecting will come along with them and there will be crisis and trouble.
You just continue doing your work and leave the advert for God, then those that God didn’t invite will not come and there will be peace and tranquillity. You should not go out to start saying ‘I can heal, I can deliver.’ At synagogue, our critics are our advertisement. They are people that don’t want to hear about us. They tell other people that ‘that church is devilish;’ unknowingly, some of the people they tell get inquisitive and they will want to come here and see what a devil looks like since they haven’t seen one before.
God has been using this as advertisement for us. Ninety per cent of people who come here do so in the bid to come and verify what they had heard about this church. When some of them get here, they will sit at the back, fearing that they could be hurt. Some put on dark glasses or disguise in a way that will not allow people that know them to recognise them. But before the service is over, some of them will pick up their bags and move to the front seats. They eventually become my prayer warriors.
Let me tell you something that amazes me and that I always thank God for – those who are with me are more than those that are against me. They keep supporting me all over the world. I have more, more, more people around the world. Whenever I say this, tears flow from my eyes (sobs for a while). These are tears of joy. I get so sad when I hear people’s confession when their eyes become open to what God is doing here. Some say, “I wish I had known this, my mum would not have died. She asked me to bring her here but because of what I was hearing about this place, I refused until she died. I hope that she will forgive me.”
On President Goodluck Jonathan’s involvement: When it comes to relationship, I think he would be in the best position to answer that question. Since what we are doing is creating impact around the world, you should expect Nigeria’s president to also be part of it. We are praying for the nation and being a Christian acknowledges it.
If Jonathan had been here, it would have been shown on our Emmanuel Television network. No president has ever visited this place in secret. The Bible says that if you confess me before men, I will confess you before my father in heaven. I am not a witch doctor; we have nothing to hide. If you have not read in the newspapers that your president came here, then that is that.
Anytime presidents of other countries come here, Jonathan is usually aware. If he doesn’t believe in what we are doing, he would have told them that we constitute security risks.
On “instructing” the nation: I say it on the television and all over the world. I accept that is not enough; it is better to see him one on one.
But what is the essence of a President’s visit if he won’t follow what I will tell him? This kind of trend keeps staining my name. I will not mention anybody, when they leave here; they do not obey the instructions.
What are presidents looking for in the church: The reason why people visit a man of God is to receive instructions, his opinion about them or their country. But if they don’t follow it, yet the whole world knows that they are close to TB Joshua, it has no benefit.

It is no big deal. Except they obey the counsel given to them, it has no benefit. It is not something to be proud of. At least, seven presidents have visited this place since inception. But each time presidents come to this place, I get query from God. When they come around, you won’t have time to attend to other people. They will block the road with their security and at the end of the day, they won’t do what you advise them to do.
On allegations that his generosity is what woos people to the church: How much will I give to the president of a nation to come here? Even when they come, I don’t get any financial gain but I incur cost because I want to ensure that they are well cared for. That is all; I even prefer to spend my time with the poor than to be with the presidents.
If a president visits this place today, the whole of the day will be devoted to that visit, I would have lesser time for the poor people, who need my attention. God has been warning me over this trend so much that when some presidents said that they wanted to visit me, I said no. I said it would be better for me to visit them in their countries. Each time they visit this place, I receive query from God because of my time that should have been used to attend to the poor and the needy that are waiting for me.
One soul is not superior to the other, why should I continue to receive query? Really out of three presidents that may visit, there will hardly be one that will show good example of the counsel that they received from me. If the needy are more receptive to God, it is better to give them more of my time.
Why he still asks people to display the items given to them live on camera: We do so to encourage other people to do likewise. Some of them are physically-challenged or indigent people who do not even have bank accounts, so we have to give them cash. We don’t want them to be duped, but we don’t do that often anymore.
It is not a deliberate advertising.
Every man of God has his own habit. Habit is a gift from God. Like Daniel, whenever he wants to pray, he will open his window, that is his habit. The disciples of Jesus prayed six times a day; that is their habit. It is not that we are showing off. When people see what we are doing, they learn how to be good givers.
If you do everything privately, what will people write about? Jesus fed the 5,000 people in the open, not in secret. That is why it could be written. When the tax collectors came to him, he did not hide to say, ‘I don’t want them to see that they want to collect money from me.’ Even when he healed a man and they asked him how he did it, he asked them to go and ask the healed man.
On how God speaks to him: Faith must first be in the heart before there could be an accepted confession. That means faith must first be in the heart before there could be an acceptance of prayer, request, talk from God. Faith is of man’s heart, which is spirit. Heart literarily means a different thing from the spirit. You use your faith to put a demand.
I use my faith to place a demand. You don’t understand what I am saying. Let me put it this way, faith is a channel through which the anointing flows. That means you use your faith to put a demand and ask for whatever you want. If there is faith in your heart, you can close your eyes and make a demand that you want to know what is happening around the world and before you know it, you will see the vision.
There is what you call a measure of faith – deep, deeper, deepest faith. I don’t know which level you belong. Faith grows as we hear the word and obey it. We are not all at the same level, but all things are possible to him that believes. What is possible for you may not be possible for me.
On people believing he is not a follower of Jesus Christ, but a member of some other sect: We don’t get power, it is faith we have. The power in our life is released by faith through our mouth. The issue of getting power is wrong. We don’t talk about getting power here. If you don’t have faith, power will remain dormant. In Mark, Jesus said this kind won’t be possible but by prayer and fasting. The disciples had power but lacked faith to release it.
Nigerians cannot tell me who I am. The percentage of my people around the world is more than those in Nigeria. I am celebrated around the world. Go on the internet, Emmanuel TV is the most watched. Forget about anybody, I don’t need to promote myself. Even Jesus could not win everybody’s soul.
The word Christian is a title. How do you know that those people talking believe in Jesus Christ when Christianity is a matter of the heart?
That is what I am correcting you about; that someone said he is a Christian doesn’t mean he is. If somebody says he belongs to this or that fellowship, only God knows. It is not about confessing that I am a prophet, a pastor, only God knows who is serving him. A mango tree cannot bear coconut. What you believe radiates around you. I’m more than that kind of confession. If anyone doesn’t believe me, they would when the time comes.
Christianity is not an association. Let us talk about Christianity. I don’t celebrate religion. I am a follower of Jesus; I am a Christian, that is all I know. I will invite you to come and worship here this Sunday. I am known by my love, not by my association, so whether Pentecostal, Catholic, Charismatic, Methodist, who is serving God? I don’t judge people but people can judge me. All I know is that my persecution has been a blessing; I have been tamed by it. It has strengthened me. I am a Charismatic.
I have told you about faith. You know that Elijah anointed Elisha, but can you tell me who anointed Elijah? So you see God can choose to do it the way He wants. Because I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t know which circle you belong to, maybe your own pastor was anointed by a man.
On Jim Iyke: Oh please, don’t drag me into that. All I can say is that if a person needs to see a doctor, he should be free to do so. I like the young man. He has been defending himself on the internet. Is he not enjoying a better life now? Are things not working for him?
On his family members: I don’t expose my family. I hear people saying that I don’t have a wife and that I have no child. That is the news everywhere. You have seen my wife, and this is a photograph of my daughter.
My wife is a very wonderful woman. She believes in receiving her own call. She does not just want to hold microphone because her husband is a pastor.
Men of God need to take care of their children. My daughter studied Law she is doing her PhD in Harvard and she is coming back home to preach the gospel. She loves to preach.
On his looks and if his wife is responsible: I love to look good, too; it is 50-50 anyway. She has been a great woman to me. She has been a great source of encouragement in the midst of my challenges. She is different in the sense that she said I was the one God called, so she is waiting until she is called by God to be a pastor. That is unlike what most men of God do, they believe that once they are called, their wives must be pastors too.
On when he is going to buy his own private jet: When one is at the airport to catch a flight, you see that many have become like Molue. They could disappoint you by saying the flight has been cancelled. Even when you eventually get on board, people keep thronging you for one reason or the other. The person serving you the meal may be someone that needs deliverance, by giving you food, she will deliver you.
There was an experience I had when travelling by air for a trip of about nine hours. I was pressed but couldn’t go and ease myself because I had to queue like other people before I could use the restroom. Besides, I thought that some of those people could go to the toilet immediately after I had used it in expression of faith, so I remained glued to my seat all through the journey. That would not have been if I was flying a private jet.
Or if you are a man of God that snores and they see the pastor sleeping and snoring, they will think he shouldn’t snore. Meanwhile, he is human. So a man of God should have a private jet if the situation demands it.
If the use is for the church, the church should buy it, own it and manage it. It should not be bought in the pastor’s name. When he is no longer there, the jet remains the church’s.
On what inspired him to owning a football club: It is the desire to help people realise their dreams. There are other social platforms that we use to help people.
Is God not too busy to talk to him about that? The same God speaks about everything. God is aware of everything. It is all about the faith that you have; it manifests even in small things. We need to know how much we need God.
Source: Punch Nigeria

Jonathan vs Amaechi: Suspension of 5 Bishops in Niger Delta Confirmed

Five Pentecostal bishops have been banned from officiating in any bishopric gathering in the Niger Delta.
A terse statement, issued on November 30, 2013, by Pentecostal Bishops in the Niger Delta and signed by the acting National Secretary of the organisation, Bishop David Benedict, said the unnamed bishops committed a sacrilegious act when, in company of seven other clerics from the region, indulged in alleged disgraceful act “without minding their highly exalted position in Christendom”.
While commending the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and the South-south Chairman, Arch-Bishop God-Dowell Avwormakpa, for suspending the bishops, he lauded the CAN President for his effort to religious body in the country.
The group called for peace between Governor Chibuike Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan.

Why The Church Is Called Deeper Life PLUS The Real Meaning Of My Name & Why I Changed It – Pastor W.F Kumuyi

The founder and the General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church, Dr W.F Kumuyi in an interview with Elife talks about his Christian Faith, why his church was named Deeper Life and the real meaning of his name.

Pastor Kumuyi narrated why he changed his original name Ikumuyiwa meaning “death brought this” to Kumuyi.
Excerpts:
African names have meanings. What does Kumuyi mean?
The full name is Ikumuyiwa, which means ‘death brought this”. After I became a Christian, I realised it was the death of Christ that has brought us salvation, and also the redemption and reconciliation we have with God. So, for me, the name, Ikumuyiwa, is very significant – death has brought something good. The death of Christ has brought us the grace and goodness of God, and the relationship we have now with the Lord.
How many siblings do you have?
I have two siblings – a sister who is three years younger than I am, and a brother who is far much younger, 18 or 19 years younger than I am. Both of them are in Nigeria . My sister lives in Ondo State . A born-again Christian, she attends Deeper Life. My brother lives in Osun State, and he is also in the Church. Both of them are following the Lord.
You left the Anglican Church for the Apostolic Church. What made you switch?
I was teaching in Mayflower School, my alma mater. I completed my secondary school education in 1961, and started teaching mathematics at Mayflower in 1962. It was there that I was introduced to the Apostolic Faith, not Apostolic Church, and really heard about the change that Christ could make to our lives when we turned from our sins and believed in him and how he died for us on the cross of Calvary. It was there that I had the salvation experience and things really turned up for me.
You became a born-again Christian at the age of 23, on 5th April 1964. Do you still remember what happened?
Yes, a preacher was preaching a simple message, and because I had become almost like a moralist in the sense that I protected my name and personality, when that preacher preached, I saw that it was not just our actions that made us unacceptable to God, even our wrong thoughts and wrong plans or planning our lives as if God didn’t exist, also made us unacceptable. I then realised that I needed God. And when the preacher made an altar call, he pointedly said if “anybody needed Christ to fill the void in their lives, such people should come forward”, I felt drawn to what he was saying. I went forward, knelt down and prayed.
In fact, it was such an important day for me that I still remember it to this day, even where I knelt, how it all happened, and the peace and joy that came to my heart, that now I was reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. It was very definite.
Was it in Lagos ?
No, it was in Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State , about one-and-a ­half hours drive from Lagos.
Why did you call it Deeper Life?
Actually it came from the people. When they received the articles, they came to the Bible studies and said: “We’ve been Christians before, but this one is deeper than what we used to know.” So they used the name Deeper Life. We also knew that we were leading them to deeper relations with God; that is how those articles became Deeper Christian Life Articles. Then as we continued with the Bible studies, the group became known as the Deeper Christian Life Ministry. And when it became a Church in 1983, we called it the Deeper Life Bible Church.
Are you saying the name, Deeper Life, didn’t come from you?
Well, yes and no. We called the articles we sent out “Deeper Life Articles”. The people themselves were saying those articles were deepening their Christian lives. So the name came from both sides.
Source: Naija Gists

Why I Converted To Islam – Actress, Liz Anjorin

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Actress, formerly Liz Anjorin now known as Aishat who recently converted to Islam in an interview talks about her recent conversion and her lifestyle.

You woke up one morning and decided to change your name and religion. Is that how people just switch?
My name is still Liz. I am Elizabeth Aishat Anjorin. I have always been a Muslim. It is just that I am a very confidential person; not many people know about it. That is why it sounds new to so many people now.
So how come it became a public knowledge and is even causing side talks here and there?
It was because I went on Hajj. That was how so many people got to know about my religion. You know that my name is Elizabeth, a Biblical name; so when I went on Hajj, everybody had to notice that I practise Islam.
Have you always been a Muslim?
My father was a Christian and my mother was a Muslim. After my mother’s death, I decided to practise her religion. Even before her death, I had wanted to go for Hajj but there was no chance.
Stories started flying round when this story broke. Some said you found a rich ‘Alhaji’ who insisted you must convert to Islam before he married you…
People must talk and if they don’t, they will die. But to answer your question, I don’t think such can happen. I don’t see why any man would tell me to change my religion before he can marry me. Funny enough, my boyfriend is not even an Alhaji. Going on Hajj was something I desired. It is not even meant for Muslims alone. If you believe in God, go to the Holy City and pray to your God and your prayers would be answered. People from all over the world come there.
Was your baby’s father a Muslim?
Oh yes. The baby’s late father was a Muslim. He gave my daughter a Muslim name. We all believe in one God. There is no dichotomy.  I don’t have to judge anybody and say the person’s religion is bad. We are all one before God. I am still proud of my name, Elizabeth. It is just that when you go for Hajj and come back, you have to be more modest. It is just that I am human and I am a young lady who is still single. I am free to live my life. If I get married and my husband wants me to be Eleha (woman in purdah), then I will do it. If I marry a pastor and my husband wants me to be a pastor, I will do it. I have to be submissive to my husband. For now, I am a young girl, so I think I am still free to follow my heart and do what I want to do. But when you go for hajj, you have the fear of God and you believe in God.
So you have changed since you came back?
Yes. Before now, I could do anything. I could talk anyhow. But now, I caution myself. I can’t destroy myself talking the way other people talk.
Did you go to Mecca so that people will perceive you as a nice, holy lady?
Anybody who is saying such must be jobless. I saw all the comments people posted on the Internet because of my trip to Mecca. I know some people said I was a bad girl and I wanted to live a holy life and that was why I had to go to Hajj. Those people who say such, have they ever seen me in a party? Have they seen me where I shouldn’t be? I am not a saint but I know
I have been a wonderful person. If a lady like me can work and do some other things without anybody’s knowledge, then people should pray for me. Anybody saying such negative thing hasn’t seen me. It is not easy. If a guy of 27 can ask me out, then you know that I am a very decent lady to the core. If you keep yourself decent, it shows on your body. I don’t fix nails except on location. I don’t wear fake eye lashes. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink. I cherish my sleep at night. I don’t club, I cover my body. So why would anybody term me a bad girl? If I were bad, I would be struggling. I am not saying that I am a saint but I will say it again and again, I am a very decent girl. I don’t misuse my body. Do I even have that time?
You don’t smoke, you don’t drink and you don’t do so many bad things but was it not reported that you and Iyabo Ojo fought over a man back then?
Anybody who says such is just jobless. It is so annoying. You don’t judge anybody. You don’t even have the right to do that. Let them talk. That is their headache. I am not going to say anything.
But there is a recent picture where you dressed so sexy. You didn’t wear the long dresses ….
If I am at a movie location, nothing stops me from dressing that way. Even when I am not at a location, I have never really dressed seductively. I don’t reveal my body. I always cover my body. it is very hard for people to know that I even wear tattoo. It is only at a location or when you see poster pictures that you would know that. There is a difference between your personality and your job. For a male gynaecologist who is an Alhaji, don’t women open their legs for him to check them? It is his profession.
People should please correct this impression. I am an actress. If I am given a role, I must interpret it. We are preaching and trying to correct anomalies with our movies. We are just acting. Even without going to Mecca or Jerusalem, I have never liked dressing seductively. You can still be beautiful without exposing your body. The more you are even covered up, the more beautiful you look. So, the picture you saw is a poster picture. I have always worn long gowns and I bet you, I look more beautiful than those who wear scanty attires.
Attending event is part of my job; if I weren’t a celebrity, I could wear anything to any event and nobody would notice. But I am a role model. I love to wear something unique. I am a young lady. The way you dress attracts the calibre of people that come to you. If you dress decently, mature minds approach you. If you dress in a funny way, such people will come to you.
So many people would expect you to finally settle down now…
People believe it is one Alhaji that sent me to Mecca. Ok o; when it is time for me to get married, I will let them know. It might be tomorrow, it might be next. I don’t know the time but everybody will know when we get there. All I am interested in is my business.
Have you left acting?
No. I am working on my new movie, Kofo the First Lady. It is a sequel to Kofo Tinubu. We have the same characters in the movie but different story.

25 Killed In Anambra Crusade Stampede

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At least 25 persons, have died at a weekly crusade at the Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, in Idemili North local government area of Anambra State, in a stampede at the end of the ceremony in the early hours of Saturday. Gubernatorial aspirant in the state, Dr Chris Ngige however said 15 people died.
The crusade, organized by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma for prayers, healing and spiritual retreat, attracts thousands of people, but the one that was held Saturday ended in a tragic way.
According to Saharareporters sources, the trouble started after Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra state and his party’s candidate for governor, Willie Obiano, visited the Catholic night vigil.
An estimated 100,000 worshippers attended the crusade because, apart from coinciding with the Feast of All Saints, it was also the first Saturday of the month.
Witnesses said that hundreds of people at the event didn’t recognise the presence of Gov. Obi and his candidate as expected, mumbling that their candidate of choice was All Peoples Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige. Rev. Emma Obinma tried to pacify the congregation, but didn’t succeed.

As soon at the governor and his team left, fracas ensued at the entrance of the Church when the crowd raised alarm that armed men had arrived.
Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra state, DSP Emeka Chukwuemeka, confirmed the incident, but couldn’t confirm the number of deaths.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ngige has blamed the incident on Gov. Obi on his Facebook page, the APC candidate accused Gov. Obi and his APGA candidate, Willie Obiano of inducing the stampede after worshipers booed them.
“The priest in charge, Ebube Mmuo Nso had told Obi that the people already knew whom to vote for so should be left alone. Unfortunately, in the sheer act of wickedness, Obi’s goons charged into the crowd who booed at them and induced stampede, which led to the untimely death of 15 persons, including women and children while wounding many more,” Dr. Ngige said.
Corpses of those who lost their lives have been deposited at Immaculate Heart Hospital and Maternity, Nkpor and Charles Borromew Hospital, Onitsha. Several others who sustained various degrees of injuries, are also receiving treatment in various hospitals in Onitsha.

Boko Haram Shoots CAN Leader In Borno!

Boko Haram Ignores State Of Emergency, Shoots CAN Leader In Borno!

The Boko Haram sect on Tuesday evening gave indications that it was prepared for whatever comes with the declaration of a state of emergency in three states. Minutes after the declaration by the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, suspected members of the sect shot and killed a leader of the Borno State arm of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Borno State. The Secretary of the association, Faye Pama Musa was killed by gunmen who trailed him to his Maiduguri residence. In a brief statement which confirmed the incident, Kenny Asaka, spokesman to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the CAN President described the incident as a “sad” one.
The leader of the sect had appeared in a video earlier in the week to claim responsibility for attacks that occured in Baga and Bama in Borno State.

Source: thestreetjournal.org

JONATHAN DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN YOBE, ADAMAWA & BORNO STATE

Boko Haram on fire as President Goodluck Jonathan Declares state of emergency for three Northern State in Nigeria. These states are said to have been the major worries of FG as too many deaths toll around the region. The question is will this stop the Boko Haram Group from operating? As many previous and present leaders are suspected to be the major sponsors of the group which names are not unveil.

Some of the reasons are said to spoil the the leadership of President Jonathan. If this continues how will 2015 election be? So we here at Aftereffet Blog, we are pleading those sponsors to seize fire so one can live peacefully.

Terry G, Samklef, SlizzyE turn ‘Cele Pastors’

Terry G shot the video for his latest single 'Jump am pass'a few weeks back. The video which has a religious theme will feature cameos from another popular singer-producer Samklef and long time Edo rapper Slizzy E.
Dressed in Pastoral form the video coming soon. See Photos below:

 

New Pope Emerges (Jorge Mario Bergoglio)

Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, taking the name Francis I and becoming the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years.
Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal 115 cardinal electors had chosen him to lead the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
"Pray for me," the new pontiff, dressed in the white robes of a pope for the first time, urged a crowd of tens of thousands of people waiting in the square below.
The choice of Bergoglio, who is the first Latin American and first Jesuit pope, was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope.")
Francis has became the 266th pontiff in the Church's 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis, with the church under fire over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy.
Although a conservative theologically, Francis is known for his concern for the poor and is expected to bring a radical change of style to the Church leadership, indicated by his choice for the first time of the name of St Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226 after living a life of poverty and simplicity.
He immediately showed the difference from his predecessor Benedict, an aloof theologian, with a gesture of humility, asking the waiting crowd to bless him before he blessed them.
Bergoglio shunned the papal limousine after his appearance on the balcony and chose to take a shuttle bus with other cardinals back to the Vatican residence where they are staying, for an evening meal.
Bergoglio is known as a humble man who leads an austere and sober life without ostentation, travelling by public transport and living in a small apartment outside Buenos Aires.
He is willing to challenge powerful interests and is deeply concerned about the social inequalities in Argentina and elsewhere in Latin America. He has had a sometimes difficult relationship with President Cristina Fernandez and her late husband and predecessor Nestor Kirchner.
Francis has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as "an attempt to destroy God's plan".
ARGENTINES JUBILANT
Jubilant Argentines poured into churches, some crying and praying, after the announcement at the Vatican. "This is a blessing for Argentina," one woman shouted on a Buenos Aires street.
"I hope he changes all the luxury that exists in the Vatican, that he steers the church in a more humble direction, something closer to the gospel," said Jorge Andres Lobato, a 73-year-old retired state prosecutor.
The election was enthusiastically welcomed elsewhere in Latin America too.
"We're happy because we have a new pope and because the choice of a Latin American shows that the Church is opening, is now focused on the entire Church. It's not just a church only focused on Europe," said Leonardo Steiner, general secretary of the national conference of Brazilian bishops.
Francis was not among the small group of front runners identified before the election. The Jesuit order to which he belongs was founded in the 16th century to serve the pope. It is best known for its work in education and the intellectual prowess of its members.
The monks at the convent of St. Francis in Assisi were overjoyed at the election of Bergoglio and his decision to take the name Francis for a pontiff for the first time.
"St. Francis still points to the path of humility and evangelical simplicity," said the abbot, Father Mauro Gambetti.
Italian theologian Massimo Faggioli told Reuters: "I don't expect him to change on doctrine, but he is a more pastoral person. It seems that this pope will be more aware of what life is all about."
Faggioli, a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, added: "He will have more room to make his message heard than Benedict did. The papacy needs to have an audience more open to listen to what the pope says. He is not an outsider. He didn't present himself as a reformer with hatchet in hand."
Bergoglio was born into a middle-class family of seven, his father an Italian immigrant railway worker and his mother a housewife.
Replacing Pope Benedict, who resigned last month, he overturned one of the main assumptions before the election, that the new pope would be relatively young.
Bergoglio is the oldest of most of the possible candidates and was barely mentioned in feverish speculation about the top contenders before the conclave.
He is the first non-European pope since Syrian-born Gregory III in the eighth century, and the third successive non-Italian pontiff.
The Vatican said his inaugural mass would be on March 19.
U.S. President Barack Obama said the election of Francis "speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world."
"PRAY FOR BENEDICT"
In brief remarks from the balcony of St. Peter's, Francis called on the faithful to pray for Benedict and said the Church was setting off on a "journey of fraternity, of love, of trust".
It seemed the cardinal electors "went to the end of the world" to find him, he said.
The Vatican said Francis would visit Benedict soon at his temporary home in the summer papal residence outside Rome.
Thousands of people sheltering from heavy rain under a sea of umbrellas had occupied the square all day to await the decision and the crowd swelled as soon as the white smoke emerged.
They cheered wildly and raced towards the basilica as the smoke billowed from a narrow makeshift chimney and St Peter's bells rang.
The tens of thousands in the square cheered even more loudly when Francis appeared, the first pontiff to take that name. "Viva il Papa (pope)," they chanted.
Front runners at the conclave had included Brazilian Odilo Scherer, and Italy's Angelo Scola, who would have returned the papacy to traditional Italian hands after 35 years of the German Benedict XVI and Polish John Paul II.
The decision by cardinal electors sequestered in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel came sooner than many experts expected because there were several front runners before the vote to replace Pope Benedict.
The cardinals faced a thorny task in finding a leader capable of overcoming crises caused by priestly child abuse and a leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church government or Curia.
Francis will head a Church also shaken by rivalry from other churches, the advance of secularism, especially in its European heartland, and allegations of scandal at the Vatican bank.
The series of crises is thought to have contributed to Benedict's decision to become the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate.
RIVAL TO RATZINGER IN 2005
Bergoglio was a moderate rival candidate at the 2005 conclave to the conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who went on to become Benedict.
Italian media say he impressed cardinals in pre-conclave meetings where they discussed the Church's problems.
Reserved and humble, Francis does not fit the profile of an active preacher that many cardinals had previously said they were seeking. He studied chemistry before joining the priesthood nearly a decade after losing a lung to respiratory illness.
The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held on Wednesday. Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.
The previous four popes were all elected within two or three days.
In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believe the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who are looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalize their faith across the globe.
Apart from Brazil's Scherer and Italy's Scola, a host of other candidates from numerous nations had also been mentioned as potential popes - including U.S. cardinals Timothy Dolan and Sean O'Malley, Canada's Marc Ouellet and Argentina's Leonardo Sandri.
But the front runners' list never mentioned Bergoglio.
(Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary, Catherine Hornby, Crispian Balmer and Tom Heneghan in Rome, Dave Graham in Mexico City, Ana Flor in Brasilia, Nicolas Misculin and Juliana Castilla in Buenos Aires; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Keith Weir, Alastair Macdonald and Giles Elgood)
Source: www.reuters.com

Pope Benedict XVI's Final Speech

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI promised his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final words to cardinals Thursday, a poignant and powerful farewell delivered hours before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign. In an unexpected speech inside the Vatican's frescoed Clementine Hall, the pontiff appeared to be trying to defuse concerns about possible conflicts arising from the peculiar situation of having both a reigning pope and a retired one. He also gave a final set of instructions to the "princes" of the church who will elect his successor, urging them to be united as they huddle to choose the 266th leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. "May the College of Cardinals work like an orchestra, where diversity — an expression of the universal church — always works toward a higher and harmonious agreement," he said. It was seen as a clear reference to the deep internal divisions that have come to the fore in recent months following the leaks of sensitive Vatican documents that exposed power struggles and allegations of corruption inside the Vatican. The moment was as unique as Benedict's decision to quit, with the 85-year-old pope, wearing his crimson velvet cape and using a cane, bidding farewell to his closest advisers and the cardinals themselves bowing to kiss his fisherman's ring for the last time. Some seemed to choke up at that moment, but the scene seemed otherwise almost normal, with cardinals chatting on the sidelines waiting their turn to say goodbye. Benedict said he would pray for the cardinals in coming days as they discuss the issues facing the church, the qualities needed in a new pope and prepare to enter into the secret conclave to elect him. "Among you is also the future pope, whom I today promise my unconditional reverence and obedience," Benedict said in his final audience. Benedict's decision to live at the Vatican in retirement, be called "emeritus pope" and "Your Holiness" and to wear the white cassock associated with the papacy has deepened concerns about the shadow he might cast over the next papacy. But Benedict has tried to address those worries over the past two weeks, saying that once retired he would be "hidden from the world" and living a life of prayer. In his final speech in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, he said he wasn't returning to private life exactly, but rather to a new form of service to the church through prayer. Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, Benedict will leave the palace for the last time as pontiff, head to the helipad at the top of the hill in the Vatican gardens and fly to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. There, at 8 p.m. sharp, Benedict will become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. The doors of the palazzo will shut and the Swiss Guards will go off duty, their service protecting the head of the Catholic Church over — for now. And on Monday, the cardinals are expected to begin meeting to set the date for the conclave. Benedict's decision has been met for the most part with praise and understanding. Cardinals, Vatican officials and ordinary Catholics have rallied around him in acknowledgment of his frail state and the church's need for a strong leader. But Sydney Cardinal George Pell has caused a stir by openly saying the resignation has been "slightly destabilizing" for the church. In an interview with Australia's ABC radio, Pell noted that Benedict himself had acknowledged the shift in tradition; Benedict said Wednesday that he appreciated his decision was not only serious but "a novelty" for the church.