The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi has criticized students from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (formerly Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi) for wearing Catholic clerical robes during a recent drama performance.
The students, who were celebrating their graduation, sparked controversy when images of them wearing the robes circulated on social media.
In a statement released on Friday by the Catholic Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Makurdi Diocese, the students’ actions were labeled a “gross disrespect to the Catholic faith.” The statement was signed by Hembadoon Orsar, the Chairman of CAMPAN.
“This action shows gross disrespect to the Catholic faith and everything that it holds dear. It is a mockery of our revered Reverend Sisters who are perpetually decent and model in their dressing and cover despite their outstanding physical beauty for the sake of glorifying God,” the statement read.
CAMPAN also criticized the university for allowing such an act to occur, noting that films in the Nigerian industry are censored before public release to avoid negative impacts. “It becomes very condemnable for a university that should ordinarily be a citadel of learning to allow its students to engage in negative vices and release an uncensored product to the public,” the statement added.
The association viewed the act as an attack on the Catholic Church and emphasized the need for students to respect religious boundaries. “While it is a free world, your freedom ends where another person’s own starts, thereby creating a thin line between yours and that of another,” the statement warned.
CAMPAN concluded by calling for the university to do more in educating students about the consequences of disrespecting religious practices.
“It is disheartening that the university seems to have failed in its responsibility to teach its students the fragility and consequences that accompany issues of religion,” it said.
