The leader of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, has apologized to the Christ Apostolic Church over remarks he made about the late Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, the church’s first General Evangelist.
TheNewsGuru reports that his apology follows public outrage after a sermon clip circulated online in which Fatoyinbo spoke about Babalola’s spiritual anointing but claimed his “grace” did not endure because he lacked wealth.
The statement drew a stern response from CAC, which accused him of wrongly linking spiritual impact to financial status.
In a recent development, Fatoyinbo released a public statement acknowledging the concerns raised by the CAC and expressing regret for any hurt his words may have caused.
He emphasized that he never intended to insult Babalola’s children or damage his ministry, describing the late evangelist as a respected father of faith whose work has had a significant influence on many churches, including his own.
The COZA pastor clarified that his comments were taken out of context by those who selectively quoted him. He prayed for the continued growth of Babalola’s legacy and requested that the matter be laid to rest.
He said: “Let me state however that at no time in the sermon did I refer to the children of the late Apostle and Father of faith in bad light. I would never do that. The raw copy of the message is online and this can be verified.
“I would never in any way of manner take lightly the grace over Apostle Babalola, his children or his ministry for granted or speak lightly of same.
“I apologise if any other statement made by me has caused any form of distress, hurt or discontentment to the CAC, the family of the late Apostle Babalola or his associates.
“I will never disrespect or speak of them in that manner either publicly or privately.
“I pray that this puts to rest the entire episode and we pray that the CAC and the legacy of our father Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, continues to grow in leaps and bounds.”