Priests and lay faithful of the Catholic
Diocese of Ahiara, Mbaise, yesterday,
staged a peaceful demonstration
against the appointment of
Monsignor Ebere Peter Okpalaeke as
the bishop-elect of the diocese. Apart from the peaceful
demonstration staged at Mbaise, the
priests and lay faithful handed out a
six-page press statement signed by
eight persons, including the President
and Secretary, Ahiara Diocesan Priests Association, Rev. Fr. Austin B.
Ekechukwu and Rev. Fr. Dominic N.
Ekweariri respectively. File photo “We, the priests and Lay faithful of
Ahiara Diocese state quite clearly
that we have nothing whatsoever
against the person of Monsignor
Ebere Peter Okpalaeke and do not
per se oppose his choice as a bishop of the Catholic Church, but we
strongly contest his suitability for
Ahiara Diocese, given its uniqueness
and pastoral realities”, they stated. While denying that it was alleged
disunity amongst the priests of
Ahiara Diocese that led to the
appointment of a priest from Awka
Diocese as bishop-elect, the priests
also challenged anybody to provide any evidence to the contrary. “The appointment of Monsignor
Okalaeke contradicts natural justice.
It sends a very reprehensible signal
about the status and reputation of
the 500 Catholic priests that trace
their origin to the soils of Mbaise, a diocese that has been acclaimed the
Ireland of Nigeria. “In unequivocal terms, we restate
our resolve to resist any attempt to
forcefully impose him on us as the
bishop of our beloved diocese”. Meanwhile, some critics have not
only slammed the protesting priests
but also accused them of being
myopic about the universality of the
Catholic Church. An Mbaise man, who simply
identified himself as Ambrose,
reminded the priests that “they are
carefully trying to set a very bad
precedent in the Church”.
www.vanguardngr.com/2013/01/mbaise-catholic-priests-reject-new-bishop/