In the Thursday, December 19 interview with ACI Africa, Bishop Maigida lamented, “We feel highly disappointed that within the Christian family, division arising from human weakness can even lead to violence.”
The Nigerian Catholic Bishop added, “We have been hearing of the factions within UMCN but I didn’t know it would get to this violent stage. We feel very disappointed that this can happen. Despite successive governments’ intervention in the states, these people cannot listen.”
Antagonism among members of the UMCN has festered for years. The 2022 formation of the theologically conservative GM Church and the resignation of bishop Johnwesley Yohanna earlier this year aggravated the conflict.
After decades of debate, in May, the United Methodist Church (UMC) voted to lift bans on ordaining LGBTQ clergy and officiating same-sex weddings. Delegates also allowed regional conferences to establish their own standards in alignment with local laws and UMC doctrine.
At the 10th session of the West Africa Central Conference that was held December 5-8 in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, UMC leaders amended the regional Book of Discipline to affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman and that episcopal territories must adhere to national laws, such as Nigeria’s ban on same-gender marriage.
In Nigeria, tensions escalated, with UMC Bishop Schol reporting harassment, violence, and property destruction. Despite urging peace and addressing concerns to GM Church bishops overseeing Nigeria, the antagonism continued, leading to the December 15 confrontation.
In the December 19 interview with ACI Africa, Bishop Maigida attributed the violence to a fundamental misunderstanding of Christianity’s core teachings.
“Are they taking life in the name of religion or are they taking life in the name of their lack of understanding of the religion?” the Nigerian Catholic Bishop posed.
Resorting to violence contradicts Christian values, he said, adding, “I think its lack of understanding of the religion.”
“I don’t think it’s in the name of Christianity. These are people who have their agenda, maybe, and they are using the church to achieve their agenda. They do not represent the Christian teaching on love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. So, they are not doing it in the name of the religion. They are doing it because of ignorance about the religions that they claim they profess.”
