Sunday mass disrupted as Bishop shuts church

PARISHIONERS of the St Mary’s Help Christians Catholic Church in Khomasdal were dumbfounded when they arrived for morning mass yesterday only to find that services had been cancelled and the church locked by order of the Archbishop.

Shortly after 09h00, people were huddled in several groups around the grounds discussing the closure of the church. In a letter addressed to the parish and signed by Archbishop Laborius Nashenda on Saturday, it was ordered that the church be locked with immediate effect to avoid “scandal, violence and damage”.No services would be held until further notice, the letter said.The Police were called to the church to ensure peace while parishioners were told by the head of the parish council of the diocese’s decision.Parishioners said they were not provided with reasons for the decision to shut the church.Among those who left the grounds after the announcement, was the parish chairperson who had a copy of the Archbishop’s letter.He, however, refused to comment on the problems and said that the archbishop had to be approached to explain the decision.Nashenda could not be reached yesterday.The Namibian understands that tension has been mounting between splinter groups in the church over the past few weeks.With the intervention of the Archbishop, the divisions were clearly visible.While some got into their cars and went home, others formed small groups around the church grounds; a group of around 40 people who appeared to be in support of the priest, gathered under the trees near the church office to be addressed by the father.It was unclear whether the Father was also saying mass, as the group became angry when The Namibian approached the gathering.They forced this reporter to leave the meeting.They also refused to allow The Namibian to wait to speak to the priest.Several men approached the boundary fence yelling threats after the reporter had left the grounds, saying the priest still had to decide whether or not he would speak to the media on the issue.Later in the day, the church grounds were quiet and the priest could not be reached to discuss the matter.Even parishioners who had not stayed to listen to the Father’s address refused to discuss the problems.They said that as a man of the cloth, the Father deserved to be protected.They claimed that many churches had squabbles and infighting but that things were blown out of proportion when it involved the Catholic Church.In a letter addressed to the parish and signed by Archbishop Laborius Nashenda on Saturday, it was ordered that the church be locked with immediate effect to avoid “scandal, violence and damage”.No services would be held until further notice, the letter said.The Police were called to the church to ensure peace while parishioners were told by the head of the parish council of the diocese’s decision.Parishioners said they were not provided with reasons for the decision to shut the church.Among those who left the grounds after the announcement, was the parish chairperson who had a copy of the Archbishop’s letter.He, however, refused to comment on the problems and said that the archbishop had to be approached to explain the decision.Nashenda could not be reached yesterday.The Namibian understands that tension has been mounting between splinter groups in the church over the past few weeks.With the intervention of the Archbishop, the divisions were clearly visible.While some got into their cars and went home, others formed small groups around the church grounds; a group of around 40 people who appeared to be in support of the priest, gathered under the trees near the church office to be addressed by the father.It was unclear whether the Father was also saying mass, as the group became angry when The Namibian approached the gathering.They forced this reporter to leave the meeting.They also refused to allow The Namibian to wait to speak to the priest.Several men approached the boundary fence yelling threats after the reporter had left the grounds, saying the priest still had to decide whether or not he would speak to the media on the issue.Later in the day, the church grounds were quiet and the priest could not be reached to discuss the matter.Even parishioners who had not stayed to listen to the Father’s address refused to discuss the problems.They said that as a man of the cloth, the Father deserved to be protected.They claimed that many churches had squabbles and infighting but that things were blown out of proportion when it involved the Catholic Church.