Protesting women of St. Paul’s Parish,
Members of the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) of St. Paul’s Parish, Ibuzor Amokwe, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Sunday staged a peaceful solidarity protest in defense of their Parish Priest, following a viral video showing him in a dispute with members of an outstation church.
The video, obtained by DAILY GAZETTE, which sparked conversations online, captured a confrontation between the priest and CWO members of St. Mary’s Church, Idedu, an outstation of St. Paul’s Parish.
The incident reportedly stemmed from the priest’s objection to a parallel August Meeting organized by the women of the outstation.
While many social media users had questioned the priest’s conduct, members of the mother parish, St. Paul’s, took to the streets to publicly clear him of any wrongdoing.
Displaying placards bearing messages of unity and peace, the protesting women reaffirmed their loyalty and support for the priest’s efforts to maintain order within the parish structure.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards include “St. Paul’s CWO Amokwe is behind the parish priest in his quest to seek peace among the CWO of the parish”, Enugu Diocese, please ask St. Mary’s Idedu outstation to allow for peace in St. Paul’s Parish Amokwe”, “CWO St. Paul’s Parish is solidly behind our parish priest” among others.
Speaking to DAILY GAZETTE, a parishioner who pleaded anonymity said tensions had been growing between the parish leadership and the women of the St. Mary’s outstation over calls for independence.
“They’ve been pushing for the creation of their own parish and have stopped showing obedience to the mother parish,” the source said.
“Their decision to organize an independent August Meeting without the parish’s approval was the tipping point.”
According to Catholic Church tradition, outstations are subject to the administrative oversight of their parent parishes unless officially elevated.
The protesting women urged the Enugu Catholic Diocese to intervene, urging leaders at St. Mary’s outstation to work towards peace and unity.
At the time of filing this report, no official statement has been released by the Diocese.
