Ebola: Catholic Church Stops Placing Communion on Worshippers’ Tongues & “Sign of Peace” Handshake

Abuja (NAN) ― The Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja on Sunday announced new procedures for worshippers at Masses to check likely spread of the Ebola virus.

The procedures which include the administration of the Holy Communion on the palm of the faithful as against placing it on the tongue of the recipient, was announced by Rev. Fr. Moses Jimbili, at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nyanya.

Jimbili told parishioners at the church that the measure was a directive by the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, as check on the spread of Ebola disease.

Another change in the church’s practice was the stoppage of hand shake by worshippers done during consecration of the Holy Communion as sign of peace.

NAN also reports that Onaiyekan’s directive is contained in a statement issued by the Director of Social Communications in the archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Patrick Alumunku.

“Due to the prevailing national situation on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), I am directing that the following pastoral guidelines should be observed throughout our Archdiocese till further notice.

“The sign of peace should be omitted at Mass, Communion in the hand is highly recommended and should be encouraged (unless for those who insist on receiving on the tongue),” the statement quoted the Cardinal as saying.

The cardinal also directed that special intercessory prayers should be offered during the holy mass against the spread of the virus.

Jimbili said, “You know some people sweat a lot and since one of the ways the virus can be transmitted is through sweating, it will be better to stop handshake so that one does not contract it.’’

He, however, advised worshipers to be prayerful over the Ebola scourge.

Speaking to NAN at the church, a worshiper, Tochukwu Ikwuazom, commended the diocese for the precautionary measure to curb the spread of the virus and urged Nigerians to pray to God to remove the disease from the country.

How A Married Woman Almost Seduced Me - Pastor Adeboye

During Pastor Enoch Adeboye's sermon on Thursday night at the ongoing 62nd annual convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Adeboye narrated that a high profile woman who was an executive of the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, did everything to seduce him.

According to him, the woman came to him and announced to him that God had told her that he would be her husband, and immediately he rebuked her, saying “you know that I am happily married and have children.” That didn’t deter the woman who continued to pester him, and even came to the camp to threaten him, saying “if you stand on my way to marrying this man, I will kill you.”

Pastor Adeboye took the matter to then Inspector General of Police who immediately invited the woman and her husband to his office and after a meeting banned the randy woman from entering the Redemption Camp or ever making passes at the man of God.

“But that measure didn’t stop her. I travelled to London without telling anybody, to work on the church’s devotional, Open Heaven. As soon as I settled down in the room, the telephone rang and the voice at the other end said: “welcome to London. I am coming in 15 minutes,

The cleric continued, wondering why his audience responded with a laughter.Continuing, he said he told the voice:

“You don’t know anything, you know that the Police in London are very efficient and if you dare come here, I will call the Police for you.” There is a Police station a few meters from where I am staying and she must have known that because she didn’t come but kept calling me.“I cried to God Who told me ‘You know of the scripture that says, whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven.’ Believe me honestly, unless God helps, there are things you cannot handle on your own,

He stated, urging the large crowd to stand and pray with holy anger:

“Anyone hindering my progress, before this month is over, Holy Spirit send down Your fire to consume them”.