An Anglican Bishop has said the coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic ravaging the world is an act of God meant to prove certain prophets and pastors as liars.

WuzupNigeria reports that across Africa supposed ‘men of God’, speaking in tongues and doing ‘abracadabra’ healing, miracles are always in the news. The process for performing the miracles goes from the very mundane like vomiting miracle money; to curing deadline diseases in an instant and, yes, the hazardous. 

And as the world races against time to develop a cure for COVID-19, the Most Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma, who is the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and Bishop of Enugu Diocese, says the disease was meant to humble the world which has “become very disobedient, proud, arrogant, unruly, and immoral.”

Referencing the punishment mete on the Israelites in the Bible, the Bishop says:

“COVID-19 is a pandemic from China which I think God has brought to the world to teach us a lesson like he did in the time of the Israelites because the whole world was in disarray. We had become very disobedient, proud, arrogant, unruly, and immoral, among others. There is bad governance, cheating and so much injustice in the country and the whole world.

“Many a time, we think we are greater than God and God has now made us humble. It is a disease that has come to humble everybody. It has come to also teach that some people’s prophecies can be faulted. All these people who make false prophecies and fake miracle workers or healers; this coronavirus pandemic has come to prove them to be liars and God has come to let us know that He is greater than everybody.

“It has also sensitised us, particularly Nigerians, to be conscious of our health and know that health is important because when it first started, evidence showed that we were not ready at all. Imagine the capital of Nigeria, Abuja, not having a good isolation centre which made the late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, to be taken to Lagos. Why should somebody at that level be taken to a private hospital and not a government hospital? It means we have failed. Nigerian government has failed to take healthcare delivery in the country seriously.”