Pope Francis concedes to Nigerian priests, accepts bishop’s resignation
Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke of Ahiara was rejected by a section of the clergy and laypeople for ethnic reasons
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation a Nigerian bishop following a standoff with priests and laypeople in the diocese over the appointment of their bishop.
“The Holy Father, after having accepted the resignation of His Excellency 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,” the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples said in a press statement Feb. 19.
Ahiara Diocese has been without a bishop for more than four years since the death of Bishop Victor Chikwe who was the first bishop of the diocese.
Appointed in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI and confirmed by Pope Francis, Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke of Ahiara has been rejected by a section of the clergy and laypeople for ethnic reasons and because the bishop was not from Mbaise, the region surrounding their diocese.
Those objecting to the bishop’s appointment prevented him from entering the cathedral in order to take possession of the diocese.
Past May, Pope Francis gave the diocese a 30-day ultimatum to accept Bishop Okpalaeke and apologize. Following the end of the ultimatum, some priests accepted the bishop but some refused to do so.
Several weeks after Pope Francis’ intervention, on July 2, the Nigerian bishops’ conference president, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, also intervened to invite the recalcitrant priests to bow to Pope Francis’ wishes.
He also warned that if they did not back down, they risked “suspension a divinis,” meaning that they would no longer be able to administer the sacraments or hold any position in the church.
According to the statement from the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Pope Francis received over 200 letters from individual priests manifesting their obedience and fidelity to him but explained their difficulty in accepting Bishop Okpaleke’s appointment.
“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,” the statement said.
The pope “does not intend to appoint a new Bishop in Ahiara, but … reserves to himself the right to continue to have a special and particular concern for this diocese.”
Pope Francis has appointed an Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia to whom he has granted all the faculties of a bishop, the statement said.