Online Reporter
Arron Nyamayaro and Latwell Nyangu
A FAKE Roman Catholic Church priest has been exposed but the big question is – HOW MANY OTHER CONMEN ARE OUT THERE?
We now know that Francis Gano has been masquerading as a Franciscan deacon within various parishes and communities.
The statement, which was issued by Roman Catholic Archibishop of Harare Robert Ndlovu, was very clear that Gano has been deceiving the church’s followers.
Unlike other Catholic priests, Gano is a MARRIED man.
Archbishop Ndlovu described it as a “serious’ matter.
But, was Gano a lone wolf or is he just one of many men out there who are masquerading as Catholic priests?
Will some of those who will attend mass on Sunday, in various parts of the country, be wrong if they suspect that the man conducting the service in front of them is a fake priest?
These are some of the questions the Catholic leadership in this country will need to deal with urgently to reassure their religious family that Gano was a solitary rebel.
In a statement, Archbishop Ndlovu said:
“I wish to inform you of a serious situation regarding Mr Francis Gano, who has been falsely presenting himself as a Catholic priest or Franciscan deacon within various parishes and communities.
“This individual has been preaching and acting as if he were an ordained minister of the Catholic Church.
“To clarify, Mr Gano is not, and has never been, a Catholic priest or deacon.
“He lacks any ordination or formation from recognised Catholic institutions and, therefore, has no authority to preach, celebrate sacraments, or perform any ministry.
“In fact, he is a married man.”
He added:
“According to the Code of Canon Law, a cleric must be lawfully ordained and incardinated in a diocese to engage in Ministry (cf. can. 265), and cannot minister without permission from the diocesan bishop.
“In light of this, I respectfully ask all priests, religious, and lay faithful to follow these guidelines:
Do not allow Mr Gano to preach, celebrate liturgies, administer sacraments, or engage in any ministry within the Archdiocese.
Do not recognise him as a priest, deacon, or minister.
Ensure that no visiting cleric undertakes any liturgical function without your parish priest’s permission.
Clerics must verify the identity of anyone claiming to exercise ministry before allowing them to participate in any liturgical functions.
“I urge everyone to remain vigilant and verify the credentials of those presenting themselves in this capacity.
“Together, we can protect our community from deception and uphold the integrity of our Church.
“With my prayers and best wishes.”
Gano is not the only one to try and fake his way to priesthood in the Catholic Church.
Exactly eight years ago, a Durban parish was traumatised after a man, who had been masquerading as a Catholic priest in three South African dioceses, was exposed to be a conman.
Emmanuel Kalenda Bukasa, a Congolese nation, claimed he was a priest from the Archdiocese of Mbeya in Tanzania and preached in the archdiocese of Durban and the dioceses of Umzimkulu and Kimberley.
He produced a Letter of Introduction and a celebret (a letter from a bishop or superior confirming that a priest may obtain permission from another diocese to say Mass).
Both were fraudulently signed in the name of the late Archbishop Evaristu Chengula of Mbeya, Tanzania.
Father Bidzogo said he became suspicious of Bukasa early on.
“Very regularly he spoke about the Mass stipend, the priest’s allowance.
“You could see a man whose focus was not on the ministry of priesthood but on money.
“He would stay after Mass to speak to the parishioners, but it was more about inviting himself to their homes to bless them.
“And he would not be shy to ask them for money during or before those visits.”
In the same year, a man, who pretended to be a priest for more than 18 years, was exposed and dismissed by the Catholic Church in Spain.
Miguel Angel Ibarra carried out weddings and baptisms, first in Colombia and then in Southern Spain, despite having never been ordained.
Those ceremonies will still be recognised, the Church said, but not his communions or the confessions he heard.
He was found to be an impostor after a complaint was filed in Colombia.
The complainant alleged Ibarra had forged his documents.
After a “thorough investigation”, it was found that he had never been ordained and he has now been ordered to return to Colombia, Church officials say.
Ibarra moved to Spain last October, settling in the town of Medina-Sidonia, which is home to more than 11,000 people.
“Events like this could overshadow the work of parishioners and ordained priests, who serve the Church every day in an exemplary way,” the local diocese said in a statement.
This is not the first time someone has been caught in the act of pretending to be a Catholic priest.
In 2008, a man who had not been ordained was found to be hearing confessions in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
He was wearing clerical robes, but was later unmasked as a fake after his documents were checked by the Italian authorities.
Additional reporting by BBC.
