Mbaise Catholic Crisis: More indigenes sign protest letter to Pope

It appears the battle has only shifted ground, as the number of Mbaise indigenes in the diaspora who had appended their signatures to a proposed protest letter to the Catholic Pontiff has increased to 375, despite the compliance of Ahiara Mbaise Catholic priests to the papal directive, to abide by the decision of the Pope through individual letters of apology by the affected priests.

A group of Mbaise Catholics in the Diaspora in a letter entitled “The Ahiara Episcopal Grab,” which will be delivered to the Catholic Pontiff on Saturday, a day before the expiration of the papal ultimatum, outlined reasons why the embattled Bishop Peter Okpalaeke should resign or be redeployed to another diocese as a panacea for peace in the Ahiara Diocese.

The group under the aegis of Global Network of Catholics with roots and  relationship traceable to the Ahiara Presbyterium of Nigeria maintained that they were out to assist the Pontiff to clean up some unholy underhand dealings within the Nigerian church.

According to the letter dated July 1, 2017, and made available to newsmen, members of the Laity Council in Diaspora appealed to the Pontiff to reconsider his ultimatum to the Mbaise priests, arguing that due process was not followed in the selection and appointment of Bishop Okpalaeke.

The letter signed, so far, by 375 Mbaise indigenes resident in the diaspora on behalf of the Ahiara Diocese Worldwide Laity Council averred that their opposition to Bishop Okpalaeke’s appointment was rather a vote for a priest from Ahiara Presbyterium as prescribed by the code of canon law (Can. 377 §2).

The members of that group, which is growing by the day, had urged Bishop Okpalaeke to immediately resign or be reassigned, because, according to them, he (Okpalaeke) has made the flock to scatter and run away (John 10:5), stressing that “his name alone brings anger, fear and disaffection to the people.

Culled from Vanguard