MONROVIA – Bishop Kortu K. Brown has strongly condemned the violent protest at the Christ Chapel of Faith Ministry of Evangelist and Nimba County Senator, Prince Yormie Johnson, saying it’s unacceptable and condemnable for protests at any church and called on political actors to act accordingly in protecting the peace and security of the state.
Recently youth group under the banner of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth Council on Sunday, May 21, 2023, attacked Senator Johnson’s church while normal Sunday worship service was taking place, thus creating pandemonium that prematurely forced worshipers out of service.
The protesters in their huge numbers wore the regular Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) berets and were heard chanting slogans for the establishment of a war and economic crime court. The continued chants led Senator Johnson to prematurely call off the service as he saw the entire church getting visibly empty as a result of fear.
Sometimes last week, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, who is also the President of the Liberian Senate, at an endorsement ceremony organized by a group under the banner of “majority staffers” of Capitol for President George Weah, labeled Sen. Johnson as a “killer.”
Senator Johnson then took to his Facebook and informed Liberians that he would respond to the Vice President during service; hence, only to see the entire church besieged by organized protesters.
However, Bishop Brown in an interview with members of the local media today condemned the action of the protesters and whosoever that organized them to go and threaten the worship of peaceful and innocent Liberians.
Saying also that it is unacceptable for holders of public offices to take their political and partisan grievances to their local churches for Sunday sermons for which he appealed to Senator Johnson to address political attacks against him from his public and/or party offices and not wait for Sunday to include them in his sermon, saying that’s not what the church is for.
The former president of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), described the act as disturbing to the peace of the country as the nation heads into one of the most crucial elections in history.
The tough-talking clergyman who is also the head pastor of New Water in the Desert Assembly Bishop, Apostolic Pentecostal Church International in Brewerville is on the record of always preaching a doctrine of peace at different national gatherings and through statements. He frowned on politicians who are using government facilities for partisan politicking which he said is wrong and amounts to pre-campaigning
Bishop Brown also called on the Liberia Ministry of Justice to instruct police to arrest and prosecute people who bend on undermining the peace of the country, adding nobody should go to a church ground in the name of pushing for war crimes court, noting the need to address war crimes is in the purview of the Weah-led government which he said must be taken seriously
At the same time, Bishop Brown is appealing to the country’s National Elections Commission (NEC) to be assertive and aggressive in addressing pre-campaign activities, adding NEC should help ensure that a peaceful and conducive atmosphere exists for the October 10, 2023 polls. It can be recalled, the NEC issued a deadline to political parties instructing them to remove their parties’ materials including billboards along the streets, but the NEC’s deadline issued, is reportedly not being fully followed by some political parties.
