Pope wades into ethnic crisis in Ahiara Church

Bishop Ebere Okpaleke, left: unwanted in Ahiara

Pope Francis has intervened in an ethnic crisis  involving the Nigerian town of Ahiara, Imo  state , whose bishop, Peter Ebere Okpaleke, appointed by Benedict XVI in 2012, is unwanted  by lay people and priests of the diocese.

Though Okpaleke is an Igbo from Anambra State, the Catholic leaders in Ahiara rejected him because he is not an Igbo man  from Mbaise.

The Vatican Insider said the pope received on Wednesday a delegation from the Diocese of Ahiara, accompanied by Archbishop of Abuja and apostolic administrator of Ahiara, Cardinal John O. Onaiyekan.

Others at the meeting were Metropolitan Archbishop of Owerri, Monsignor Anthony Obinna, Archbishop of Jos and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Monsignor Ignatius Kaigama, and the Bishop of Ahiara, Bishop Okpaleke.

Priests Clement O. Ebii, Jude N. Uwalaka, Uhuegbu Innocent Olekamma, Sister Bernadette O. Ezeyi and Stanley Pius Iwu, chief of the staff were also part of the delegation.

After a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul and a visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Nigerian delegation attended the Pope’s private Mass celebration.

The  delegation had previously met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Fernando Filoni, and the superiors of the same dicastery, with whom  the Church’s situation in Ahiara was widely examined.

Pope Francis  spoke of the inadmissibility of the situation in Ahiara and reserved to take the appropriate measures.

He said he was  entrusting the Diocese of Ahiara to the motherly care of Mary.”

It was Benedict XVI who appointed Monsignor Okpaleke in 2012, only to meet a storm of opposition by the leaders and congregation. He was not even allowed to hold mass in the church.

His predecessor, late  Victor Adibe Chikwe, came from  Mbaise and was accepted by the  worshippers, because he was son of the soil.

Pope Francis appointed John O. Onaiyekan apostolic administrator since July 2013. But the crisis has lingered.

Since Okpaleke’s appointment in 2012, the priests and Catholic faithful from Mbaise had insisted  they wanted a Bishop of Mbaise extraction.

Nonetheless, Okpaleke was ordained a Bishop on May 21, 2013 in Owerri, the mother Diocese to Ahiara Diocese.

His ordination was graced by the cream of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, including Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Jos and President Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN); Ignatius Kaigama, Archbishop of Owerri and Metropolitan of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Archbishop Anthony J.V. Obinna and the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, His Grace, Archbishop Augustine Kasuija.

In a post-ordination speech, Okpaleke said: “My ordination is a celebration of my marriage to the Church of God in Ahiara. Just like wives married into families, I have left my people and have become “onye” (member of) Ahiara Diocese. I remember a peace of music by monks of Western Priory in the State of Vermont USA, which I love so much. The monks set into song Ruth’s response to Naomi: “wherever you go, I shall go, wherever you live I shall live. You people will be my people and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I shall die and there I shall be buried.”

Facebook Comments Box
Copyright 2024 ROYAL NEWS. All rights reserved. Digital material on this website, may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from ROYAL NEWS.
 

For Adverts and News/Event Coverage, contact 08061346946, 07030849251. Or email info@royalnews.com.ng

Download ROYAL NEWS app

Html code here! Replace this with any non empty raw html code and that's it.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Subscribe

Popular News

Latest News

More like this
Related

ONGOING…Oloyede leads JAMB team to monitor UTME registration exercise in Kwara

The Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculations Board, (JAMB)Professor...

Service provider: CSO cautions NAHCON, SMPWBs against trauncating smooth Hajj operations

A faith-based registered Civil Society Organization, CSO, the Independent...

Gov. Otu Congratulates Gov. Abdulrazaq At 65

Cross River State Governor and Vice Chairman of the...

NPC boss, Razaq Gidado salutes Gov. AbdulRazaq at 65

The Honourable Federal Commissioner for the National Population Commission...

BREAKING…. Fubara loses suit against 27 pro-Wike lawmakers at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has dismissed the suit by Rivers...

Senate invokes constitutional power, sacks Adamawa, Sokoto, Abia RECs

Senate, on Wednesday, invoked Section 157(1) of the 1999...

FG Committed to Reducing Food Prices Through Agricultural Investments – Minister

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris,...

NEWS BRIEF: Malami Ubandoma leads inaugural Jumat Prayer At Abuja Nat’l Mosque [VIDEO]

An Imam of National Mosque, Abuja, Sheikh Dr. AbdulKadir...

KGHA restricts foreigners’ direct access to cashew farmers

Kogi State House of Assembly has called on the...

Read What Ilorin Emirate Youths Say About Gov. AbdulRazaq At 65

The Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association (IEYDA) has extended...

INEC rigged Ondo election in advance for APC – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has lamented the...

OAU campus, hostels shutdown indefinitely

AUTHORITY of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has announced...

Court consolidates suits seeking to stop Melaye’s recall

‎ By Wandoo Sombo The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday...

Internet celebrity, Mompha drags EFCC to court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), has been...

Nigeria to develop rail technology in 10yrs

Aminat Isah, Abuja Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi says...

Arsenal defeats Chelsea FC 2-1 to win FA Cup

Arsenal beat London rivals Chelsea to win the FA...

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos tops Forbes billionaire list 4th time (See top 10)

Forbes has released its annual list of billionaires...

Facts on how Oluwo dethrone, pronounce Ogundokun ‘Evil’ will surprise you

The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, has...

Osinbajo calls for sacrifice to make Nigeria great

By Donald Ugwu The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on...

WTO Post: Trade expert tasks FG on intensifying diplomatic lobbying

A trade expert, Dr Olumuyiwa Alaba, has called on...