Posted on 02/19/2018 5:20:33 PM PST by marshmallow
Pope Francis had threatened priests in Ahiara with suspension if they did not accept Bishop Peter Okpaleke
Pope Francis backed down Monday and accepted the resignation of Nigerian bishop who had been rejected for years by the priests of his diocese, setting a precedent that could have repercussions in Chile and elsewhere when papal authority is challenged.
The announcement came after Francis in June issued a harsh ultimatum to the priests of Nigeria’s southern Ahiara diocese, warning they would lose their jobs if they didn’t obey him and accept Monsignor Peter Okpaleke as their bishop. Francis gave each priest 30 days to pledge their obedience.
The Vatican said Monday that 200 priests obeyed, but some still expressed problems in working with Okpaleke.
Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Okpaleke to Ahiara in 2012, but the local clergy rejected him. Ahiara is in the Mbaise region, and its faithful objected to the appointment of an outsider from the Anambra region to lead them. In protest, the Mbaise blocked access to the cathedral when Okpaleke was to be formally installed, and he was installed outside the diocese.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicherald.co.uk ...
Why was he not being accepted?
That full paragraph described everything else but that pivotal point.
Why wont Pope Francis join him and resign as well?
Last week, Nigerian church leaders met Francis to discuss the situation of Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, appointed to Ahiara by then-Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. He has since then been rejected by most of the clergy and the laity, because he’s not from the diocese nor from the Mbaise people who dominate the area.
https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/06/14/online-campaign-tries-raise-doubts-popes-nigeria-edict/
The Catholic Church in Mbaise has never known peace since Okpaleke was appointed by the retired Pope Benedict. Rejection has continued to greet efforts made by the Catholic hierarchy to allow Okpaleke be. Efforts by the church leaders including the Papal Nuncio in Nigeria, (representative of the Pope), Archbishops and Bishops in the country for Okpaleke’s acceptance have proved futile as people of the area remain unshaken in their resolve to protest non appointment of a priest of Mbaise extraction as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese.
Azuogu has no qualms in defining Onaiyekan, appointed by Francis as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese back in 2013, as a big part of the problem, calling him a “liar” and accusing him of taking the priests and laity of the diocese for fools.
That should have been settled before his appointment.
It seems unfair that the Nigerian has to surrender what was bestowed upon him because someone didn’t fully vet.
Sad that bureaucracy and protocol can get in the way even for the Pope.
Oh, I think Pope Benedict XVI fully vetted him. It’s just that the people want someone from their continent and country to be their shepherd.
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