UPDATE: Catholic kicks against gay marriage, amnesty

Director of Catholic Communications Commission, Catholic Diocese of
Ilorin, Rev Fr. Pius Ogunyebi, has said the Catholic Church is opposed
corruption, gay marriage and granting of amnesty to the Boko Haram
sect.

He stated that gay marriage was unscriptural and negated African
lifestyle, adding that corruption was detrimental to national
development.

Ogunyebi spoke in Ilorin on Saturday at a media conference on the
church's Communication Week, titled, 'Social networks: portals of
truth and faith: new spaces for evangelism.'

He said, "The feeling is that amnesty is not in any way acceptable.
The question the Catholic Church will continue to ask is: By the time
you grant amnesty to this group, how are we sure that another group
will not come up tomorrow and ask for the same, all in the name that
something must come to our own end too.  The stand is that once you
grant it to them what will happen to those they killed?

He added that the Federal Government's planned amnesty to the sect
could encourage criminality other dissidents or aggrieved groups.

He urged federal, state and local governments to provide
infrastructure, jobs and enabling business environment for the people.

Also, Director of Religious Education Department, Catholic Diocese of
Ilorin, Rev. Josephine Odorwike, said the church was saddened by the
pain inflicted on its members by the Boko Haram.

Odorwike said, "The Catholic Church is not happy about the bomb
blasts. Most of them are targeted at the Catholic Church.

"With this issue of amnesty, I now ask: what kind of government do we
really have? I am totally against the amnesty the government is
talking about."