Imo to partner with Catholic church on family campaign as pope’s representative visits Okorocha

 

Okorocha welcoming Pope Francis’ representative, ArchBishop Vincenzo Pagilla, President Pontifical Council for the Family, to the Government House, Owerri on Friday May 6, 2016

The government of Imo state will partner the Catholic Church in its worldwide campaign for better families since the family is believed to be the engine of every society.

Governor Rochas Okorocha gave the indication when the representative of Pope Francis, Arch Bishop Vincenzo Pagilla, who is the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, paid courtesy call on him at the Government House, Owerri today with the Catholic Arch Bishop of Owerri, Anthony Obinna and his Umuahia counterpart, Bishop Lucius Ugorji also in attendance.

Governor Okorocha said he was not surprised that the Pope could be concerned about the fate of families across the nations of the world, having seen the Pope visiting and eating with the sick, entering the mosque to pray with Muslims, and visiting refugees in war ravaged areas to sleep and eat with them, adding that the Pope by all standard is a practical Christian who is doing what Christ did while on earth.

Hear the governor, “the Pope should be commended for the great job he is doing all over the world.  What he has been doing is indeed practical Christianity.  We have come to a very critical moment in our life history. We have to understand that the problem of the world is not economy, it is not terrorism, neither is it religion, the problem of the world is the lack of attention to the family and its values because if the family is right, the society will be right.  It is out of the family that ISIS, Boko Haram, etc came out from, if the family values are fixed the world will be a better place”.

Governor Okorocha promised that the state will key into the development of the family values, describing the Arch Bishop of Owerri as a frank and honest man who preaches the gospel the way it is without fear or favour and also encouraged the church to always see the good in everybody irrespective of their shortcomings.

The governor also promised to build a centre in Owerri for family reunion which will be handed over to the Catholic Church.  This he said will help in rebuilding the family.

In his speech, the Pope’s representative and President Pontifical Council for the family, Arch Bishop Vincenzo Pagilla stated that the council’s main purpose is to foster peace and unity in the family across the globe and help inculcate good morals to the family structure.

According to him, he is in the region to help in building bridge of peace between Africa and Europe through the family re-orientation.

He said “if the family is right the world will be right, this is our message.”

Pope Francis’ representative, ArchBishop vincenzo Pagilla addressing Imo people on the campaign for better families across the world by the Catholic Church.  With him; Governor Rochas Okorocha, ArchBishop Anthony Obinna of the Owerri Archdiocese, Rev. Father Chris Anyanwu. From right; ArchBishop Lucious Ugorji of Umuahia Catholic Diocese, when they paid courtesy call on the Governor on Friday, May 6, 2016 at the Government House, Owerri.