By Henry Opara
Awka
Determined to cut the cost of burial ceremonies that have become the norm in the country, especially in the South-east geopolitical zone, the catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, lon Sunday, directed the priest of the diocese to desist from cooking food and sharing of souvenirs to the bishops, priests and religious organisations and others “costly expenditure” at the funeral of their relatives.
He, however, said food and refreshment for the laity, if it must be provided, must not over stretch the family.
Ezeokafor, who made the pronouncement at the St. John’s Catholic Church, Enugu Agidi, Njikoka local government area of the state, urged the priests to adhere strictly to the directive, insisting that whoever violated the new order did that at their own risk.
The catholic prelate, who once again expressed displeasure over what he described as “unnecessary expenditure during funerals,” called on some Igbo who engaged in flamboyant burials to take a cue from their Hausa Muslims who, he said, spent little or nothing during burials.
According to him, the order is also extended to the laity in AWKA Dioceses.
He said: “We are doing it to help ourselves and relatives. Even if the deed is mama or papa father, the Catholic Church in Awka says there will be no cooking of food and sharing of souvenirs. We are to mourn with the deceased’s families and thereafter go our separate ways. Times are hard; we should find a way of reducing burial costs to the barest minimum.”
