Catholic missionary priest Fr. Kelvin Ugwu has refuted claims that Rev. Fr. Daniel Okanatotor Oghenerukevwe, recently suspended by the Catholic Diocese of Warri, had a secret wedding in the United States.
Instead, he clarified that the wedding was publicly conducted.
Reports surfaced on Sunday that Fr. Oghenerukevwe was suspended from priestly duties after allegedly tying the knot in secret.
However, Fr. Kelvin took to his official Facebook page to set the record straight, stating, “In fairness to Fr. Daniel Oghenerukevwe, he did not secretly get married; it was publicly done. So, I say again, be careful of some of the headlines you will be reading on this issue.”
Fr. Kelvin further revealed that the embattled priest had already expressed his intention to leave the Catholic priesthood before the marriage.
“The suspended priest in question had earlier expressed his intentions to leave the Catholic priesthood,” he added.
He explained that the main issue was Fr. Oghenerukevwe’s impatience to complete the formal laicization process before proceeding with his marriage to his partner, Dora Chichah.
According to Fr. Kelvin, “No one is forced to be a priest. And even as a priest, if at any time you feel you can’t continue, there are procedures you will follow to be laicized.”
