Pope Francis has delivered an ultimatum to the priests belonging to the Nigerian Diocese of Ahiara, giving them 30 days to write a letter promising obedience to him and accepting the bishop appointed to their diocese in 2012. Priests who do not write the letter will be suspended, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
The ultimatum marks the second time that Pope Francis has ordered priests of the diocese to accept Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, who was appointed Bishop of Ahiara by then- Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
In a letter dated June 29 2014, Francis warned rebellious priests to end their "grave act of disobedience."
The latest papal text in English was posted on 9 June on the blog of Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, president of the Nigerian bishops' conference.
On 8 June, a group of Nigerian church leaders met Pope Francis to discuss the situation of Bishop Okpaleke, who has been unable to take over the diocese because of protests, apparently by a majority of priests.
The Vatican issued only a short communiqué on the meeting with the Pope on 8 June, describing the situation in the diocese as “unacceptable”. The Vatican press office could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the Pope’s words as reported by Archbishop Kaigama. However, Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja, who also was present, told Catholic News Service they were the remarks of the Pope.
The protests in the diocese were motivated by the fact that Bishop Okpaleke is not a local priest. According to the Pope's remarks posted by Archbishop Kaigama, Pope Francis said, “I think that, in this case, we are not dealing with tribalism, but with an attempted taking of the vineyard of the Lord.” Referring to “the parable of the murderous tenants” in Matthew 21: 33-44, the Pope said: “Whoever was opposed to Bishop Okpaleke taking possession of the diocese wants to destroy the Church. This is forbidden.”
Each priest's letter, Francis said, “must clearly manifest total obedience to the Pope” and indicate a willingness “to accept the Bishop whom the Pope sends and has appointed”.
“The letter must be sent within 30 days, from today to 9 July, 2017. Whoever does not do this will be ipso facto suspended ‘a divinis’ and will lose his current office”, the Pope said, according to the posts.
“Why must the Pope do this?” Francis asked. “Because the people of God are scandalised. Jesus reminds us that whoever causes scandal must suffer the consequences.”
Bishop Okpaleke, the contested bishop, met the Pope along with Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Anthony Obinna of Owerri and Archbishop Kaigama. Three priests, a religious sister and a traditional elder also made the trip. The delegation also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and with Cardinal Fernando Filoni and other top officials from the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.
When Bishop Okpaleke was appointed to the diocese, the announcement was met by protests and petitions calling for the appointment of a bishop from among the local clergy. Ahiara is in Mbaise, a predominantly Catholic region of Imo State in southern Nigeria. Bishop Okpaleke is from Anambra State, which borders Imo to the north.
A petition to Pope Benedict launched by the “Coalition of Igbo Catholics” after the appointment said: “That no priest of Mbaise origin is a bishop today ... is mind-boggling. Mbaise has embraced, enhanced the growth of and sacrificed for the Catholic Church, has more priests per capita than any other diocese in Nigeria and certainly more than enough pool of priests qualified to become the next bishop of the episcopal see of Ahiara Diocese, Mbaise.” According to the Vatican, the diocese has close to 423,000 Catholics and 110 diocesan priests.
PICTURE: Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Onaiyekan to serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese in an attempt to calm the situation
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