Nigerian Diocese Told to Accept Bishop's Controversial Ordination
An Order within the Catholic Church called on the priests and lay faithful of a Nigerian diocese to comply with the order of Pope Francis to accept their ordained bishop. This came after the pontiff threatened the defiant clergymen of suspension if they refuse to give their allegiance to the bishop.
The Knights of St. John International (KSJI) and Ladies Auxiliary came out with a statement on the problem after a meeting of its Supreme Subordinate Board over the weekend. It asked the lay faithful to accept Peter Okpaleke who was ordained as bishop of Ahiara Diocese.
Last month, a delegation from the Diocese of Ahiara visited Rome where they were personally scolded by Pope Francis for their refusal to accept Okpaleke. He warned them of dire consequences for their stubbornness and ordered each one to write a letter of apology on pain of suspension.
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The bishop was appointed in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI as Bishop of the Ahiara Diocese, located in Imo state, southern Nigeria. But most of the priests defied his ordination as they wanted a local clergyman from Mbaise to serve them. Okpaleke came from the neighboring Anambra State.
After his appointment, Okpaleke wasn't able to take control of the diocese nor was he allowed to celebrate mass at the cathedral. His ordination the following year was held not in the Ahiara Diocese where the cathedral was padlocked but at a seminary in the Archdiocese in Owerri.
In the statement read by Supreme Subordinate President Major General Anselm Okafor, KSJI condemned "the attitude of members of the lay faithful of Ahiara Diocese, which is bordering on intransigence and disrespect to the Pope." It also expressed its "disappointment with the priests who should know better."
"The Catholic Church has a rich and enviable history, devoid of ethnic and pre-modal considerations and therefore, the appointment of a Bishop is at the behest of the Pope, and this is backed by Cannon Law 377," it went on. It wasn't known if the priests complied with the submission of letters of apology.
