Catholics and other Christians in Sothern Sudan have been cautioned against the Reformed Catholic Church, a breakaway sect that has commenced activities in the semi-autonomous region.Bishop Ceaser Mazzolari of Rumbek wrote a pastoral letter early this month warning Christians against “false teachers and misguiding church leaders” active in the region.
He said the sect leaders had abandoned priestly celibacy and obedience to the pope.
“I am clearly and strongly alerting you, dear Christians, that people who call themselves ‘The Reformed Catholic Church’, in all truth are no longer acceptable members of the Catholic Church and you should no longer follow them,” the bishop said.
Members of the new sect are copycats who imitate the prayers, readings and external ceremonies of Catholic services in such a way that simple people think they are attending a Catholic mass or prayer service, Bishop Mazzolari said.
In their teachings, they criticize the doctrine of the Catholic Church as old and out of date and disparage church leaders as being unable to understand the changing times.
“These Reformed Catholics will appeal to the struggle of the people as something the traditional Catholic Church is not able to cope with or resolve. This idea is also entirely false because the church has been very close to the people and its leaders to obtain peace and the needed reconciliation,” Bishop Mazzolari wrote.
He pointed out that the new sect is looking for dissatisfied Catholics to confuse and divide them.
“They will misguide you to become bitter with your church as they are bitter, and to disobey the laws of the church, which they already do, and to lose you precious gift of faith.”
The bishop described the Reformed Catholics as “the devil roaming around in our days, trying to lead people astray from the faith.”
They are also persecuting the church and the faithful.
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