Holy Mary: May Edochie, Ekene Umenwa, Other Celebs Who Have Created Controversies With Pics, Statue

• The recreating of Mother Mary pictures is fast becoming a trend among Nigerian female celebrities
• Actor Yul Edochie's wife, May, recently caused a buzz on social media after she shared a series of pictures and a video of her dressed as Mother Mary during the Easter celebration
• May Edochie is, however, not the only celebrity that has crossed the line, as other popular celebrities, who are Catholics, have pulled similar stunts in the past for different reasons
• In a chat with Legit.ng, a Catholic spoke about Holy Mary and her impact on the church's doctrine

Mother Mary, also known as Holy Mary, recently trended during this year's Easter celebration in Nigeria as Christians in the country celebrated the resurrection of her son, Jesus Christ.

Mary, a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, is the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus in the Bible and recently trended on Nigerian social media space after May Edochie recreated her style.

While Mary is recognised as a key figure in Christianity, she is even more prominent among Catholics and venerated under various titles.

The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God. The Church of the East historically regarded her as Christotokos, a term still used in the Assyrian Church of the East liturgy.

Due to the qualities like profound purity, humility, lively faith, constant prayer, self-denial, ardent love, patience, among others, attributed to Mary, several Nigerian female celebrities have replicated her pictures for one reason or the other.

Male celebrities who are Catholics have also shown their love for her, sharing moments with her statues.

In this article, Legit.ng takes a look at Nigerian celebrities who have created controversies with Holy Mary pictures and statues.

1. May Edochie, this century's Mary?

Actor Yul Edochie's estranged wife, May Edochie, stirred up reactions with her choice of attire for this year's Easter photo shoot.

May Edochie revealed that it has always been her dream to honour the Holy Mary by replicating her garment.

The mother of three in the viral pictures spotted a red gown and a blue veil to wrap around one of her shoulders, similar to that of the Holy Mary.

May took it further by striking Mary's pose, which led to some Christians describing her action as blasphemy.

This led to actress Rita Edochie coming to her defence as she shared similarities between May and Mother Mary.

Rita further caused uproar after she claimed May Edochie is the visible Mother Mary of this century.

2. Ekene Umenwa channels Mary for maternity shoot

In 2024, the actress made headlines after she released a maternity shoot where she dressed like Holy Mary.

Ekene Umenwa rocked a blue and white robe and veil, channelling the prominent biblical figure.

While she explained that she was inspired by a vision Mother Mary gave to her during her pregnancy, the actress was repeatedly dragged for her actions, with many urging her to seek forgiveness.

Ekene Umenwa refused to listen to her critics, who further sparked another round of debate after she visited a Catholic church to dedicate her child to Mother Mary.

A video captured Ekene smiling and waving as she approached the Mother Mary statue. The actress also stared at her child, whom her husband held.

Some Nigerians in reactions accused the actress of being an idol worshipper, advising her to desist from the act.

The video of Ekene Umenwa and husband dedicating their child to Holy Mary below:

3. Cubana Chiefpriest cries out to Mother Mary

In 2024, the socialite and upcoming singer publicly expressed his faith in Mary.

Cubana Chiefpriest revealed that his mind was overwhelmed and only she could speak on his behalf.

“Like this na Mother Mary fit help me intercede for me Mama. Head don full,” he said.

Another video captured Cubana Chiepriest in a solemn mood as he prayed to Mary's statue while wearing a rosary.

Chiefpriest also sang Ave Maria (a Latin word which means hail Mary), moving his head at intervals before he held the cross part of his rosary and kissed it.

4. Ruby Ojiakor presents car keys to Mary

The Actress was in the news last year after she presented the key to her new car to a statue of Holy Mary and Jesus in a church, leading to criticisms online.

In an interview with PUNCH, Ruby Ojiakor clarified her actions, stating that her belief and faith were personal, and not idol worship.

“Whatever one believes works for one, and it is the heart that God is looking at. If my belief and faith is in the place I went to, it will definitely work for me," she said in part."

Holy Mary is significant in Catholic

According to Francisca, Holy Mary is a significant part of Catholics' doctrine.

"One aspect of her significance is that Catholics believe Mary was born without original sin, so she came without the stain or the effects of sin, and also she was a virgin as at when she gave birth to Jesus. Both represent her holiness and purity

Another one she's the Mother of God, and by extension Mother of the Church.

As we all know, Jesus is God, and it has been implied in many ways example the Trinity, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some places in the Bible that talk about him taking over basically at the end of everything and ruling over the new Earth where there is no pain and suffering," she said.

How Judy reacted to Omoni's post about May

Legit.ng reported that people aired their opinions about Judy Austin's actions after Omoni Oboli made a post about May Edochie's being featured in her movie.

Oboli had warmed the hearts of her fans with news about Edochie featuring in her film titled Uprising Wives on Strike 3.

Judy was among those who liked the post, and her action sparked reactions from fans, who shared mixed views.

Source: Legit.ng