Following the alleged “blasphemous” remarks regarding the Holy Father, Pope Francis, Simon Lalong, the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Plateau State, apologized to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria on Friday.
He pleaded for pardon and understanding from the Catholic Church via the Bishops’ conference while acknowledging that it was a mistake on his behalf to have connected the Catholic Pontiff with Nigeria’s politics.
Even as a Papal Knight of St. Gregory, the worried church members had earlier scoffed at his choice of words and requested his immediate expulsion from the institution. Governor Lalong, however, reaffirmed his loyalty to the Catholic faith and vowed to keep carrying the flag of the Christian faith in public life in a letter to the CBCN President titled “Letter of Apology” and dated August 12, 2022.
