IMO: Catholic bishop resigns after suffering rejection for 5 years

Peter Ebere Okpaleke, the Nigerian Catholic bishop who was hugely supported by Pope Francis as the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, despite being rejected by the people of the area on the grounds that he is not a native of Mbaise, has resigned.

For the last five years, despite several interventions by Pope Francis, the people of Mbaise in Imo State protested and insisted on the removal of Okpaleke on the argument that he is a non-native of the area.

However, a Vatican press release quoted by its news agency, Agenzia Fides, on Monday said, “Today the Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Ahiara (Nigeria), presented by his Exc. Msgr. Peter Ebere Okpaleke, and at the same time appointed His Exc. Msgr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia as Apostolic Administrator.”

The Vatican press release reads in full, “The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples has today released the following statement.

“The Holy Father, after having accepted the resignation of His Excellency, the Most Rev. Peter Ebere Okpaleke, has relieved him of the pastoral care of the Diocese of Ahiara, and at the same time has thanked him for his love for the Church.

“Following the Instructions of His Holiness Pope Francis, during the months of June and July 2017, He received 200 letters from individual priests of the Diocese of Ahiara, in which they manifested to Him obedience and fidelity.
“Some priests, however, pointed out their psychological difficulty in collaborating with the Bishop after years of conflict.

“Taking into account their repentance, the Holy Father decided not to proceed with the canonical sanctions and instructed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples to respond to each of them. In this line, the Congregation has urged every priest to reflect on the grave damage inflicted on the Church of Christ and expressed hope that in the future they will never again repeat such unreasonable actions opposing a Bishop legitimately appointed by the Supreme Pontiff.

“The Holy Father is grateful to all the faithful: priests, religious and laity, who have shown closeness to His Excellency, Msgr. Okpaleke, and have supported him with their prayers.
“He is also grateful to the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria for the support given to their Brother Bishop, to whom He sends a special Apostolic Blessing.

“The Holy Father thanks His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan for his service as Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, President of the Episcopal Conference, and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, Msgr. Anthony Obinna, for the efforts made to solve the lamentable situation.

“For the time being, the Holy Father does not intend to appoint a new Bishop in Ahiara, but He reserves to Himself the right to continue to have a special and particular concern for this Diocese, assigning a new Apostolic Administrator, Sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis, in the person of His Excellency, the Most Rev. Lucius lwejuru Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia, to whom He grants all the faculties reserved to an Ordinary.

“The Holy Father, who accompanies with prayer this new phase in the life of the Church in Ahiara, hopes that, with the new Apostolic Administrator, the local Church will recover its vitality and never again suffer such actions that so wound the Body of Christ.”

In what is rare in Catholicism, the people of the diocese of Ahiara in South-East Nigeria challenged Papal authority in the appointment of Okpaleke as the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, insisting that somebody from Mbaise should occupy the position.

For that reason, many priests and church members refused to swear allegiance to Okpaleke. Some critics have argued that what played out in that matter could set precedence for future appointments.

READ ALSO: CARDINAL ONAIYEKAN TO BUHARI: Your best not good enough, Nigeria is in a state of despair

Former Catholic Pope, Benedict, had in 2012, appointed Okpaleke as bishop of Ahiara, but the appointment was visited with fierce protests as the protesters prevented him from ever taking over the diocese.

Okpaleke’s installation had to take place in another area outside Mbaise as the doors of the Ahiara cathedral were locked so that he could not have access to the building.

At the height of the problem in June 2017, Pope Francis demanded that all priests in the diocese write him a letter within 30 days pledging their obedience to and accepting Okpaleke as their bishop because he was appointed by a Pope.

The Pope had then threatened to suspend from the priesthood any priest who fails to write the letter. He added that the rebellious priests write a letter of apology to Okpaleke.

While Fides said that some 200 priests had written to the Pope, promising their allegiance, Okpaleke however in his resignation letter, noted that he had not been able to be in charge of the diocese, or even live within its territory due to continuing “violent reaction and resistance” against him.

 

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now