By Rev. Fr. Anthony Adetayo

The Catholic Church has always cherished the Church and State relationship in order to improve the welfare of the citizenry.

This is once again put up in display at the wake of the Corona virus pandemic. In a statement released by the Ogun State Government on the 19th March 2020, the government ordered that
all schools in the State will remain closed indefinitely after school hours on Friday, March, 20th, 2020. Also, all religious centres and activities including regular and special services that bring together fifty (50) or more persons in the same place are banned with immediate effect.

Consequently, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ijebu Ode Most Rev. Dr. Francis Obafemi Adesina closed all the Catholic owned schools in the diocese. He also released a circular for all the faithful on the 21st March 2020. In the circular the Bishop further reduced the number of congregants at religious gathering especially the Holy Mass to 40 and below. He ordered for full compliance with the Government across the diocese and requests for special prayers against the spread of the Corona virus.

On Sunday 22nd March 2020, It looks an unusual scenario as all the Catholic church parishes and outstations kept the injunction by receiving the maximum of 40 persons at a time inside the Church for Holy Mass. More Masses were celebrated across the diocese to cater for the spiritual nourishment of the members. God bless the hardworking priests, God bless the diocese of Ijebu Ode. May God restore us to a Corona virus-free world.