There appears to be no end in sight for the faction wars among Legio Maria church followers after a splinter group returned to court to challenge the legitimacy of the successor of the late Pope Romanus Ong'ombe – Mr Lawrence Ochieng Kalul.
The splinter group moved to court to challenge the legitimacy of the rival faction's newly appointed pope, barely a week after the High Court in Migori dropped the leadership wrangle case following the death of one of the contenders –Pope Ong’ombe in April.
Pope Ong'ombe died before resolving the leadership wrangles in the church and the installation of his deputy, Mr Kalul, to take over the papacy has ignited a fresh leadership row in the already divided church.
In what has rekindled the protracted antagonism in the church, Kisumu-based cleric and leader of a splinter faction, Pope Raphael Adika, has filed a fresh petition at the High Court in Migori challenging the appointment of Mr Kalul as the successor of Pope Ong’ombe.
Through his lawyer, Mr Thomas Kwanga, Pope Adika is seeking the removal of Mr Kalul as the successor and legitimate pope of the church headquartered at Got Kwer in Suna West, Migori County.
“My client sought to have the case withdrawn following the death of one of the key contenders. This has paved the way for a fresh petition to revoke the appointment of Mr Kalul as the new pope of Legio Maria Church,” Mr Kwanga said.
The initial move was welcomed by faithful allied to the late Pope Ong’ombe who said the decision would provide an atmosphere for reuniting the once divided church.
“This should mark the end of the long protracted antagonism that has seen the church wallow in divisions. It is also a culmination of a peaceful coexistence that we have always yearned for,” Cardinal Joseph On’gaw had told the Nation outside the High Court in Migori after the ruling.
But in a sudden twist of events, Pope Adika, speaking in Migori town, termed the installation of Mr Kalul as the new pope as “an insult to the church’s standing and efforts to pacify the divided church that was wallowing in divisions”.
“Why should they be hell-bent on creating more divisions? I am the legitimate pope who was installed by the founder Melkio Ondeto to lead the church. We are out to seek redress and ensure justice is served,” Pope Adika said.
This happened amidst concerted calls by Mr Kalul to have the two factions merged and bring to an end the ceaseless wrangles that have led to bloody confrontations in the past.
During his controversial installation in May, Pope Kalul, a long serving deputy of the late Ongombe, called for an end to the wrangles witnessed in the church in the past and extended an olive branch to the rival faction, urging it to join him in uniting the church.
“There must be an end to the stalemate witnessed in the past 10 years. I am calling on the parallel faction to shelve their ego and join us in uniting the church,” said Mr Kalul.
Legio Maria Church had been embroiled in leadership wrangles since 1991 when its founder Melkio Ondeto died.
"The third Pope, Mr Lawrence Chiaji, then took over until 2004 when he also died and Raphael Adika took over until 2009 when the wars for the control of the church begun, pitting him against Mr Ong'ombe," said a staunch Legio Maria member who sought anonymity as he is not allowed to speak on behalf of the church.
The two splinter groups claiming the papacy had then emerged, with one faction being led by the late Ong’ombe and the other by Mr Adika.
In May 2019, the two leaders briefly ended their protracted antagonism before it erupted again after their hard-line supporters refused to cede ground.
