By Nworisa Michael
A Catholic priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Revd. Fr. John Chinenye Oluoma, popularly known as Fada Oluoma, has urged the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to exercise caution in its response to the controversy surrounding actress Ini Edo’s movie, A Very Dirty Christmas.
Fr. Oluoma made his remarks in a post shared on his Facebook page, reacting to public outrage over the movie’s title and a viral video showing Ini Edo in tears while appealing to CAN not to take actions that could lead to the film being pulled down.
While commending CAN for speaking up in defence of Christian values, the priest maintained that the association should first watch the movie and assess its content before making any judgment. He noted that Ini Edo has repeatedly stated that the film does not mock or demean Christianity and has challenged critics to identify any part of the movie that disrespects the faith.
According to him, if the content of the movie does not ridicule Christianity, CAN should allow it to continue showing and give the producer time to address concerns over the title, rather than allowing the project to be sabotaged based solely on its name.
Fr. Oluoma also stressed that CAN is not a statutory movie censorship body, pointing out that Nigeria already has designated agencies responsible for regulating and approving films. He added that unless the movie violates ethical or legal standards, no religious organisation has the authority to demand its withdrawal.
The Abuja-based priest further criticised what he described as CAN’s silence on more serious issues affecting Christianity in Nigeria, including allegations of fake miracles, staged healings, and unverified prophetic claims by some ministers.
He argued that practices such as the commercialisation of religion, exploitation of worshippers, and doctrinal inconsistencies within Christian circles pose a greater threat to the faith than a movie title, describing them as the “weightier matters” that deserve CAN’s attention.
Fr. Oluoma concluded by calling on CAN to focus its voice on addressing these deeper challenges within Christianity, while handling the movie controversy with dialogue, fairness, and restraint.