19/05/2024
BISHOP ONAH BURIES JOHNPAUL OBUMNEME ODONWODO (JUNIOR POPE)
The Nollywood actor Pope Obumnene Odonwodo, popularly known as Junior Pope, who died on April 10, 2024, was laid to rest on May 17, 2024, in his hometown of Uwala Abaka Ukehe, in the Nsukka Igboetiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.
It was gathered by the Shepherd Communications team that he passed on while he and his colleagues were coming back from a movie location in a boat when the boat capsized into the Anam River in Anambra State.
The burial rite commenced at 10am with a Holy Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Parish Ukehe, which was presided over by the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka, Most Rev. Godfrey I. Onah
During his homily, he said some funeral rites are more difficult than others. The death of Junior Pope was very shocking, and this has made us understand that life is a mystery and death is an even greater mystery. Well, the difficulty is really not about life or about death, because these are two certainties. Hence the difficulties are about how we relate to mysteries and how we live in mysteries because humans, by nature, are inquisitive and want to control everything.
He went further to say that the choice of the reading today by the family was to help them in the mediation on the mystery of life and death, as it touches on the life and death of our brother and friend John Paul. Well, as humans, we keep asking ourselves, Where is God when bad things come our way? My dear people of God, we have to accept that some questions don't have clear answers, he said.
Just as there are so many questions around the death of Junior Pope, many of them without an answer, fundamentally, even if we find an answer to those questions, the truth remains that Junior Pope will not come out of that coffin today. So the question should be, "Where do we go from here?" It is not about finding a rational explanation concerning death, especially sudden death; it is about being able to live in such a way as to express what we believe because Jesus asked Martha, Do you believe that?" Well, what we believe shapes our lives.
The Fada bishop went further to make this point clearer by saying, "It was reported that when Junior Pope was going into the boat, he was asked to pour libation, and he refused because it's against his faith." Some say that, as a result, he died. Well, as Christians, one thing you must know is that the end is the same.
Furthermore, the bishop asked a question: Why are so many people moved by his death? This was because this man touched many lives, made many people smile positively, and made so many people happy in a positive way. While outlining the beautiful attributes of the demise, he commended the film industry and all associates and charitable bodies for their contributions to this society. Very often, they are blamed for all the evil in the society. Yes, they have their own share of the blame, but they are not alone. Many people in the industry are working hard to make a positive impact on the lives of people, as the Junior Pope did in imitation of his namesake, John Paul II, who is now a saint. He chose to abandon the life of a private, successful life and dare to influence people positively.
Far more importantly, the Fada bishop says that death is painful, which gives us a sense of irreparable loss. Dear brother and sister, be careful! If you think that this world is not important and that we are just passing by in the world so as to go to heaven, therefore, the earth is not like heaven, so do the right thing in the world. It is a completely different life. It is not about being better; it is different, and the only condition for you to experience God in heaven is that you do the right thing here on earth. So you better take life on earth seriously, and when you take life on earth seriously, there is the next question, which is, when is the right time to die? The answer is simple: live a life that is in tune with God's plan for us and in accordance with the will of God.
Towards the end of the mass, the elder sister of John Paul thanked everyone for coming and for their support during this period of grief.
Additionally, she narrated that she spoke to Junior Pope several times in the morning before he passed on the reason to draw closer to God, which he did by several visits to the blessed sacrament on his knees, praying and interceding for God to help him in whatever he did, and I believe God had that prayer. Also, considering the standard of their Christian faith, JP never compromised his faith. As we mourn, I thank God for what he has done in the lives of my family, and so we are assured of God's faithfulness and his goodness. Therefore, in every situation, God is good in the good and God is good in the bad.
The atmosphere at the burial ceremony was sombre as families, guests, fans, and colleagues gathered to pay their final respects to the late actor. Not until his death did he survive with his wife (Jennifer Awele), who couldn't hold back her tears as she was sighted weeping profusely at the commencement of the final procession, and three handsome boys.
Juliet Udensi
