2023: No ban on members without PVC – Catholic secretariat

The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has said it does not approve the decision of certain priests to ban their parishioners from church attendance and Mass because they do not possess Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC). The CSN made the clarification yesterday in Abuja in a statement co-signed by its Secretary General, Rev Fr Zacharia Samjumi; […]

The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) has said it does not approve the decision of certain priests to ban their parishioners from church attendance and Mass because they do not possess Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC).

The CSN made the clarification yesterday in Abuja in a statement co-signed by its Secretary General, Rev Fr Zacharia Samjumi; Director, Pastoral Affairs, Rev Fr Michael Banjo; and Director, Church and Society, Rev Fr Uchechukwu Obodoechina.

There are viral videos of some Catholic priests, including one in Plateau State, Rev Fr Kelas Gogwim, who stopped worshippers who had no PVC from attending Mass in his parish.

The CSN, which is the administrative headquarters of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, therefore cautioned that every priest must promote, respect and defend all the rights that are fundamental to the human person, particularly the right to private and public worship.