OVER three years after the death of Bishop Victor
Chikwe of the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara, Mbaise,
Imo State, tension has continued to mount over
the appointment of a replacement. The
development is currently tearing the Catholic
Church apart.
Trouble started May 21, 2013, when Fr. Peter
Okpaleke, from the Diocese of Awka, Anambra
State was consecrated bishop for the Ahiara
Diocese, but Clergy and Laity of the diocese
rejected the appointment. The two groups opted
for an indigenous priest to be made bishop of the
diocese.
Their argument is premised on the fact that
Ahiara has the highest number of Catholic priests
in Africa who are eminently qualified to be made
bishop. They contend that Awka, with a small
number of priests, has more than six bishops,
allegedly because of the influence of Francis
Cardinal Arinze at the Vatican. They therefore
decried what they termed the subtle colonization
by Awka, whose bishops have taken over most
dioceses in Imo and Abia states.
The furore generated by the rejection of Okpaleke,
Sunday Vanguard learnt, got to the ears of Pope
Francis who promptly appointed John Cardinal
Onaiyekan as Apostolic administrator of Ahiara
Diocese, with the mandate to get a bishop
acceptable to the people and the Catholic Church.
Onaiyekan appointed Fr. Louis Asiegbu, a
professor, as the Vicar General to oversee the
day-to-day running of the diocese pending the
appointment of a bishop.
Nine months after his appointment, Asiegbu
resigned, allegedly because he didn’t have a
smooth relationship with the cardinal. There were
allegations that Onaiyekan neglected and rebuffed
all his advice. The diocesan priests, as a result,
accused Onaiyekan of having a personal agenda,
as he has completely abandoned his pastoral and
spiritual responsibilities to the flock of the
diocese, such as the ordination of deacons and
priests, religious professions and confirmation.
They reason that the cardinal is deliberately
pressuring the diocese to submit to his planned
installation of the rejected Bishop Okpalaeke; but
they are unrelenting. The Cardinal in November
last year, told the people that he had reached a
dead end and had nothing more to do apart from
installing the bishop. He recently appointed Fr.
Clement Ebii, his protégé, as the new Vicar
General, which has also been rejected by the
diocesan clergy and the laity.
To further show their displeasure, the people
gathered on June 21, at St. Brigid’s Catholic
Church, Nnarambia, Ahiara in Ahiazu Mbaise, for
a prayer rally against what they described as
injustice to the church and people by Nigerian
church leaders.
Speaking at the event, the parish priest of St.
Gregory’s Parish, Ihitteafoukwu, Fr. David
Iheanacho said the Ahiara Catholic Diocese
parades over 600 priests and 500,000 faithful,
noting that before the imposition of Okpaleke, the
late Bishop Chikwe, an indigene, spent 23 years
and 10 months in the diocese and produced
several priests adjudged to be amongst the best
in Africa.
“Before his death also, he (Chikwe) sent over 21
names of worthy priests to be considered at his
demise. The process of making a bishop is very
clear in the Canon law,” he said, explaining that
bishopric selection begins from the local people
(priests), and thereon to the Papal Nuncio who is
expected to forward his choice candidates to
Rome out of which one would be appointed
bishop. But in the case of Ahiara Diocese, the
process was neglected.
Iheanacho argued that the church hierarchy went
into all manner of things to manufacture an
excuse for an imposition of a pre-ordained person
chosen from Awka in Onitsha Province.
“Our people started asking the question: if we
have up to 600 priests, is it conceivable that none
of them is qualified to be a bishop? If we have
that number of indigenous priests and they are
seen as unqualified to be appointed bishop, have
they not succeeded in destroying the credibility of
those priests before the people?” he asked,
maintaining that the appointment of Bishop
Okpaleke to Ahiara Diocese contradicts natural
justice.
“I say this because the Pontiff cannot knowingly
recommend what is unjust. Pope Benedict, under
whose pontificate, Okpaleke was appointed, is
perhaps misled into regarding Ahiara Diocese as
not having competent priests to be appointed
bishops. That is to say that we are nincompoops
or good for nothing people. We have been asking
the Pope to send down some impartial observers
to look into our agitation,” Iheanacho added.
On the way forward, he said he had told the
Nigerian Catholic Bishops Conference, when they
came to Ahiara to stop pushing Bishop Okpaleke
to the diocese. “Let Okpaleke remain where he is
while they go ahead to give us what we want.
The church has many options,” he noted,
recounting a similar incidence that happened in
Enugu in 1978, the first time there was a
resistance over an elected bishop.
“Fr. Albert Obiefuna (then Rector of Bigard
Memorial Seminary) was nominated to become
the bishop of Enugu but the people refused
because they said Fr. Obiefuna is from Onitsha
Province. Instead of causing trouble in the
Church of God, Catholic Bishops immediately
(with approval of Rome) created Awka Diocese
without any preparation and fanfare and
appointed Obiefuna as the bishop, while Eneja
(son of the soil), was made the bishop of the
already existing Enugu Diocese”.
He noted that if they (present Catholic Bishops)
had handled the case of Ahiara like their
predecessors did in 1978, Okpaleke would have
been a bishop somewhere, while Ahiara Diocese
would have been in peace and the Church of God
booming.
Also speaking, the parish priest of St. Joseph’s
Catholic Parish, Otulu in Ahiazu Mbaise and
president, Ahiara Diocesan Priests Association, Fr.
Austin Ekechukwu emphasised the need for Ahiara
Diocese to have a bishop from among the
indigenous priests in the diocese. “My impression
is that all these troubles are the handiwork of
some senior ecclesiastical persons, who have
vested interests in denying Ahiara Diocese their
rights and privileges. No due process could have
produced Okpaleke in the midst of Ahiara
presbyterium in particular and Owerri Province at
large.
“What has happened is a conspiracy for which,
according to him, certain eminent personalities
within the church should be investigated and
brought to book,” he stated.
On the impact of crisis to the diocese, the parish
priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Parish, Egbelu Umuhu
Enyiogugu, Fr. Benedict Ogu said the inability of
the hierarchy to proffer immediate solution to the
problem has caused much harm than good,
stressing that the crisis is adversely affecting
seminarians and the entire church in Ahiara
Diocese.
According to him, the impasse is prolonged
because Cardinal Onaiyekan refused to perform
his pastoral responsibilities including ordination
of priests, administering sacrament of
confirmation and other sacramental functions.
“He reasons that by so doing Ahiara people would
succumb and accept the injustice. One thing is
clear: As it is negatively affecting the diocese, it
is also affecting the Holy Spirit, because biblically
it is said that as you are persecuting My Church,
you are also persecuting Me. This therefore brings
to fore the question: ‘Should the people of Ahiara
Diocese be punished because they rejected an
imposed bishop on them?” he questioned.
He further said that before Ahiara people rejected
Okpaleke, he was already rejected by his people
and fellow priests in his bid to become the sitting
bishop of Awka Diocese, “Since he was rejected
by his people and insisted that he must be made
a bishop, they packaged him for a place they
think they can maneuver,” Ogu added.

Politics in the church is trying to outgrow the inter-political party politics.

Judgement sure need to start from the Church

Nepotism i.e my brother-ism and my sister-ism has finally entered the church of christ and its now occupying the front pew.
Useless priests talking like rogue grassroot politicians

Btw, Mbaise people acting true to type

Name today?

We are talking about NAIJA2015 and some morons are talking about politics in "what is its name" catholic diocese

Difficult to read with my phone......

The house of God has been turned to something else. Politics everywhere. Christ have Mercy

Typical of mbaise people. I'm a full fledged catholic, but I must condemn these mbaise priests. They are very bad example to the society. Very bad. Wat if the bishop was Yoruba or hausa, what then would have happened. They are not rejecting him cos of corruption or any other vice, but because he is not from mbaise. This means they will also reject an imo priest not from mbaise. The pope should just close the Catholic Church in mbaise. Simple. They and their priests can go and start theirs. Devils in church.

This is not christian like at all. I thought priests were meant to be of service to humanity, can't relate it with this power tussle for leadership....hope the undertone is not for financial gain?

chukel:
Typical of mbaise people. I'm a full fledged catholic, but I must condemn these mbaise priests. They are very bad example to the society. Very bad. Wat if the bishop was Yoruba or hausa, what then would have happened. They are not rejecting him cos of corruption or any other vice, but because he is not from mbaise. This means they will also reject an imo priest not from mbaise. The pope should just close the Catholic Church in mbaise. Simple. They and their priests can go and start theirs. Devils in church.

Listen to ur sef is everywhere will onitsha or awja diocese accept an imo state priest as their bishop the answer is NO why is the man rejected by his people then want to impose him on mbaise diocese

Daggers drawn in a supposed house of God!

Religious leaders who are supposed to attract people to Christ by the way they conduct themselves and act are the very people who are chasing people away from Christ.

@ chukel. wel u ar not to b blamed becus u didn't undrstnd wat Eva u read until u begin to read wel. bec us I expect u to se were one of the ahiara priest said d canon law bishop nominatn do start from d local selection befor it proced to d church hierarchy for consideratn. and I advice u to b careful wit ur felow tribalist on d way u insult and abuse nations wit priests kings and heros before u cause to urself dangers u can't bear

In the church of God

No wonder politicians sees it as a breeding ground