Reverend Father and Sister marry in Catholic church

Rev. Emmanuel King Ankiambom, a onetime priest of the Catholic Church, and an erstwhile reverend sister of the same Church, Hycinthia Timbong, on August 22 tied the nub of holy matrimony after renouncing their celibate vows and priesthood in the church.

To the shock of curious on lookers, the solemn ceremony took place in a Catholic Parish – Njimafor Parish in the neighborhood of Bamenda, North West region.

According to reports, the two had fallen in love ever before answering the call to ministry but were both separated during training in the early years of their service.

However, after serving for some years locally, Ankiambom was sent for further studies in Rome where he reunited with Timbong who was already serving at the Vatican at the time.

The reunion of the duo who both hail from Kom, Boyo division, re-ignited the passion for each other, which they had tried to suppress over the years.

Noticing the strong bond, the Pope is said to have given the go ahead for the priest to renounce his vows and get married to the reverend sister.

The Journal gathered that it was then that negotiations started between the two families that resulted to the marriage.

The ceremony was officiated by 14 Reverend Fathers of the Catholic Church on August 22.

Many catholic faithfuls took the development in good faith describing it as a better option compared to the hypocrisy perpetrated by others who chose to remain celibate but engage in relationships that are not accepted by Catholic doctrine.

“It is bad to commit sexual atrocities in cassock and veil. Priests have destroyed many marriages by sleeping with house wives while reverend sisters are known to be getting pregnant and abandoning their babies in orphanages.

At the extreme is the case of these men and women of God in Obala, near Yaounde, where they co-habit like some ordinary citizens, yet some are said to possess marriage certificates,” said by some Catholic Christians who spoke to The Journal grumbled.

It is being widely speculated that one of the reforms Pope Francis intends on carrying out in the Roman Catholic Church is abrogating the long held doctrine of celibacy that has for centuries barred its priests from getting married.