Archbishop Okeke tasks churches on spiritual, material wellbeing of citizens

The Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha headed by Most Reverend Valerian Maduka Okeke has declared that the spiritual and material wellbeing of the less privileged should be a major concern of the Church.

He stated this while distributing relief materials to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on residents, stressing that the Church has the responsibility of supporting governments in providing care for citizens irrespective of their religious inclinations.

Addressing priests and media practitioners, who converged on the Basilica Square at Onitsha, Anambra State, Archbishop Okeke disclosed that the palliatives were distributed without discrimination over religious denominations, tribe or ethnicity.

According to him, the Church is obliged to care for the less privileged during crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic because without the people, there would be no Church.

He also gave words of hope and consolation to the cheering crowd, assuring them that before they exhaust their lot; God would provide more to replenish their stock.

Coordinator of the palliatives distribution, Reverend Father Basil Ekwunife, noted that the Archbishop was passionate about reach out to the less privileged because he was not only interested in their spiritual welfare but also their material wellbeing.

Archbishop Okeke further expressed gratitude to the leader of Afreka Humanitarian Foundation, Dr. Reka Fodor and management of Orange Drugs Limited for partnering with the Archdiocese on the project.