Nigerian Priest dumps priesthood, marries lover in USA
A Nigerian Catholic priest has abandoned his priestly vows and married the love of his life. According to reports from Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Daniel Okanatotor Oghenerukevwe dumped his priestly garments and bought a ring for his bride, Dora Chicah in Dallas, USA.
Oghenerukevwe failed to complete the necessary documentation that releases him from his priestly vows of celibacy, choosing instead to make marital vows to his woman. Bishop Anthony Ovayero Ewherido of Warri Diocese in Nigeria where Oghenerukevwe was serving as a priest before choosing to become a husband – declared in a decree that the priest had incurred an automatic (“Latae Sententiae”) suspension under Canon Law.
“By this action, he is prohibited from presenting himself as a priest of the Catholic Diocese in any capacity. All canonical implications associated with this suspension take immediate effect” a statement signed by Bishop Ewherido read in part.
The priest’s abandonment of the celibate life has generated conversations among Catholics across Africa with some supporting him and others castigating him.
