A priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev Oluoma Chinenye has reacted to the death of gospel minister, Osinachi Nwachukwu.
Chinenye in a post on his Facebook page revealed that in one of the parishes he worked, a woman always came to him with a bloodied nose and swollen face, as a result of attacks from her husband.
The cleric disclosed that it was always an issue to counsel the woman because he could see that she is helpless.
According to Chinenye, the woman feared losing her marriage to the violent man than losing her husband.
He added that the woman who was being abused by her husband didn’t have anything to do economically.
The cleric noted that he had to convince the woman to run for her life after she received life-threatening beatings from her husband.
Chinenye said he paid for her transportation to her Uncle’s house, adding that two weeks after, the man called and begged her to come back.
He said, “In my magnanimity, I chased her back to her uncle’s house.
“After some months, the man went to beg. When he was consulted, he told the uncle to give the man two major conditions: 1. Empower the woman economically. 2. Deposit an undertaken never to beat her with the police and the uncle.”
The cleric while speaking on the death of Osinachi said whatever made the gospel singer stay in her violent marriage despite constant life-threatening violence can never be godly.
Chinenye added that if violence is the cause of Osinachi’s death, she won’t be the first and she might not the last.
He, however, hopes that this incident will help liberate other women in such situations.
According to him, the Catholic Church has no place for divorce in marriage.
The cleric stated that it is not a lexicon in catholic sacramental theology, adding that there is separation and dissolution.
According to Chinenye, separation is allowed when the life of any spouse is realistically threatened.
He advised women facing violence to run for their lives, he said “Some women find it difficult to run because the man is their only source of sustenance, this is why Osinachi’s case befuddles me.”
Chinenye noted that she is a celebrity and can take care of herself or her kids if she had decided to separate from her husband.
He called on ladies to get a job or career, adding that marriage is not imminent or social welfare for jobless women.
Chinenye said if their husband is financially buoyant and negotiates with them to stay off work for the sake of raising their children, that’s fine, but insist on him paying you a reasonable amount you fix in an account for as long as you stay home for the kids.
He said, “May the soul of Osinachi and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.”
This article was originally published on Nigeria News