Nollywood actress Mary Njoku has urged pastors to take responsibility for their public statements and actions rather than invoke the phrase “Touch not my anointed” whenever they face criticism.
Njoku made the remarks in a social media post, where she distinguished between false accusations against pastors and criticism based on things they have said or done publicly.
“Touch not my anointed applies when someone is falsely accusing you, lying against you, or deliberately trying to harm you,” she wrote.
According to the actress, pastors should not fault people for reporting or discussing their publicly made statements when those comments subsequently attract criticism.
She argued that where an account of a pastor’s words or actions is accurate, the focus should be on what was said or done rather than on the person recounting it.
“When someone gives an accurate account of what you said or did publicly, and it is causing you harm, Brethren, the problem isn’t the storyteller. The problem is what you said or did,” Njoku said.
The actress called on pastors to acknowledge their actions, apologise where necessary and provide further explanation if there is relevant context.
“Take responsibility for it. Own your words. Own your actions. Reflect on them, apologise if necessary, explain yourself if there is context, and move on,” she added.
Njoku also stressed that religious leaders, like everyone else, are capable of making mistakes.
“Nobody is perfect. We are all human,” she said.
