Catholic Priest condemns praying against “untimely" death, says it’s totally unchristian and unbiblical

Monday, January 5, 2026 - A Nigerian Catholic Priest, Fr Kelvin Ugwu, has condemned the concept of praying against ‘’untimely or premature de@th'', saying it is unchristian and unbiblical.

In a post shared on his Facebook page, Fr Ugwu argued that notable people including Jesus Christ d!ed at an early age. He wrote;

‘’The entire concept of praying against “untimely” or “premature” death is totally unchristian and unbiblical. The Church does not teach this. Rather, the church teaches us to prepare for a happy death. The scripture repeatedly calls us to stay awake, alert and watchful for we do not know the hour. There are lots of saints that died in their teens or 20s. The youngest in the Martyrs of Uganda was St Kizito, he was 14. St Lucy was 20. One of the newest Saints, St Carlo Acutis was 15 when he died. John the Baptist was beheaded, Stephen was stoned. They were in their 30s. They did not even have wives or children. Jesus was 33 when he died. Where did you people get the idea of praying against untimely or premature death? Which death is premature, which one is matured, and which one is over-mature death?

Please cowantiate!''