Pope Raphael Otieno Adika of the Legio Maria African Church is alive and well.
On Tuesday, Pope Adika spoke out amid claims by a splinter group in the indigenous African church that he had died while on a trip to Tanzania.
“I am alive and well,” he said on Tuesday, following widespread speculations on the state of his health.
His followers are now considering pressing charges of incitement and hate speech against those who spread rumors that the pope had died.
Pope Adika spoke Tuesday moments after taking a stroll at the St Peter’s Manyatta Legio Maria Church in Kisumu where he blamed the rumors of his death on those harbouring deep hate for him.
Flanked by a section of the church’s leadership, he said the reports about his alleged death had originated from their counterparts at the Legio Maria Holy shrine of Got Kwer in Migori.
“You have all witnessed that I am alive but of course we have those who wish us well and bad,” he told journalists.
He stated that the false reports of his death were from rebels within the church who have not been supporting him.
“We have rebels in the church and of course they can say anything. But I am happy I am alive,” said Pope Adika.
Archbishop Elias Komenya fired a warning to those peddling the rumors, saying action will be taken against them.
“Those who claimed the Legio Maria pope had died will be investigated, charged with hate speech and incitement according to the law and also face disciplinary measures in accordance with the church’s constitution,” said Archbishop Komenya.
He said the other faction in the church supporting former pope Romanus Ong’ombe does not know the impact of such reports to the pope’s followers.
He steered clear of the wrangles in the church, specifically the violence witnessed last year at its Got Kwer headquarters in Migori, saying the matter is still in court and speaking about it would be prejudicial to the court process.
In September last year, the Legio Maria leaders alleged interference by politicians from Migori County as one of the major factors fuelling the unending wrangles in the indigenous African church.
They made the claims days after a bloody confrontation between police and the church’s adherents at Got Kwer shrine in Migori left eight people dead, two children missing and scores injured, including a police officer.
The clash happened when members of a faction allied to Pope Adika held a prayer session at the shrine sparking protests from his opponents. The chaos happened when the church was commemorating the 28th anniversary of the founder Melkio Ondetto.
A similar fracas on September 14, 2019 where goons attacked the Christian faithful who had converged there leading to the injury of some members.
According to the Adika faction, the leadership wrangles between him and the late Pope Romanus Ong’ombe were resolved by a High Court ruling order which declared Adika the bona fide leader of the church.
