AHIARA DIOCESE IN CROSSHAIRS: THE REAL STORIES …20 [EXCERPTS FROM A BOOK IN PRINT]

Chapter 7: Another Ahiara Declaration! [ii]

All through the Christmas period, I would be waiting for information on the job opening at the Directorate of Communications at the Catholic Secretariat. But nothing came. I thought that His Grace had forgotten all about the discussion I had had with him on the issue of finding me a job that could take me away from Ahiara Diocese for a while. So on January 3, 2013, around 9.00 A.M., I sent a text message to him reminding him of our discussion on the issue of finding me a job. I told His Grace that in view of the preparations I was beginning to see in and around the diocese that the bishopric crisis would soon spiral out of control.

I did not receive any immediate reply to my text message to His Grace. But after a couple of hours I learned that Archbishop Obinna had invited all the members of the College of Consultors of Ahiara Diocese to a 3.00 P.M meeting in his house. The members of the College of Consultors who could be immediately reached drove off in a common bus to Owerri to attend to the invitation of His Grace. We would learn a few days later what had transpired between Archbishop Obinna and the members of Ahiara Diocesan College of Consultors. His Grace had wanted to sound them out on how to resolve the problem regarding the bishopric appointment in the diocese. But the members of the College had unanimously told him that they stood where the rest of the priests of Ahiara Diocese stood. And that is that they would not accept Msgr. Okpalaeke as the bishop-elect of Ahiara Diocese.

After struggling in vain to see if he could get them to change their mind, Archbishop Obinna repeated the Igbo proverb he had once told the Presbyterium of Ahiara Diocese to the College namely, Nsi abaala abaa, ihe foduru nu bu ikpo nkita – the faeces mess has already happened what remained was calling in the dog to clean up the mess. He said that as the metropolitan of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province he had a canonical duty to ensure that a bishop appointed for a suffragan diocese within his province was ordained and installed in his diocese. He said that that was what he would try to do in the case of Ahiara Diocese and her bishop-elect, Msgr. Peter Okpalaeke.

However, the archbishop noted that he would not kill anybody in order to get the bishop-elect appointed for the diocese ordained and installed in his office. He promised the College of Consultors of Ahiara Diocese that he would continue to do his best to see if there could be any breakthroughs in the problem. His efforts, he said, would be along the line of trying to get Msgr. Okpalaeke ordained and installed for the diocese he had been appointed for. However, if in the course of trying to do that he was threatened and stopped by the people of the diocese, he would retreat back to his house as he would not impose any bishop on the diocese through violence.

Responding to His Grace, members of Ahiara diocesan College of Consultors told him that the struggle embarked upon by Ahiara priests and lay people would have to continue because the bishop-elect had been overwhelmingly rejected in the diocese. They advised the metropolitan to find a way to communicate the feelings of Ahiara Diocese on the issue to the Holy Father because the people of the diocese were determined not to move back from their stand on the issue. According to the members of the College in attendance, the meeting of the day would end on a comic and ironic note. The Archbishop concluded his dismissal prayers by saying, Nsi abaala abaa, through Christ our Lord. And the members of Ahiara diocesan College of Consultors appended “Amen” to the prayer. And with that the meeting dismissed.

After returning from their meeting, the College briefed the Ahiara diocesan Presbyterium on what had transpired in their meeting with Archbishop Obinna. The Ahiara Presbyterium reiterated with one voice their determination to continue the struggle to prevent Msgr. Okpalaeke from assuming his post as the bishop of Ahaira Diocese. And with that briefing the struggle for the bishopric of Ahiara Diocese was properly launched in the New Year. Ahiara Diocesan priests would begin some series of meetings at all levels in order to fine-tune their strategies for the struggle.

As a result of the crisis on December 24, 2012, a small group of Ahiara priests was put together to serve as a think-tank for the resistance. The group was led by a veteran fighter for the Mbaise cause, Very Rev. Msgr. Donald Sunday Okoro. The name “Caucus” was attached to the group as its name. It was charged with charting the course of the resistance.

As the New Year dawned, the small group began having regular meetings. Sometimes they would schedule two or more meetings in one day depending on what was seen as a matter requiring urgent attention. The Caucus was fashioned as a rapid response unit for Ahiara diocesan Presbyterium. Its duty was to mandate or take immediate actions on behalf of the diocese in any matter that was considered as needing some urgent response.

The preoccupation of this small group was two-pronged. The first was to fashion out the way to get the attention of the Holy Father on the rejection of his appointee for the bishopric of Ahiara Diocese. And the second was how to publicly launch the resistance so that Nigeria and the rest of the world would know what Ahiara Diocese was fighting for. The popular opinion was that the Caucus must figure out the way to present the grievances of Ahiara Diocese to both the Holy Father and the rest of the world.

On the first point, the Caucus immediately drafted a poignant letter to be sent to the Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy Father, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, through the president of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama. In that letter dated January 4, 2013, and titled: Marginalization, Occupation and Aggression against Ahiara Diocese: An Appeal to make the Universality of the Church Real and not grossly lopsided, priests of Ahiara Diocese highlighted the reasons why the appointment of Msgr. Okpalaeke was being strongly resisted.

The letter referencing the first letter of protest that had been delivered to the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples Cardinal Filoni which was dated December 12, 2012, had described itself as a personal letter to His Eminence through His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Ignatius Kaigama, Metropolitan of Jos Archdiocese and the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria [CBCN] with the hope that he would draw your attention to the marginalization, occupation and imminent aggression against Ahiara Diocese. The points of the letter included:

1. The uniqueness of Mbaise Catholic community with a good socio-cultural cohesion, the steady growth of Catholicism in the community complemented by rise in priestly and religious vocations.

2. The creation of Ahiara Diocese on November 18, 1987 and its 100% incardinated indigenous clergy because other dioceses consider the Mbaise community rural and unviable.

3. Within two decades of her existence the diocese has recorded astronomical growth in both the Catholic population and priestly and religious vocations. What is available in Ahiara Diocese right now calls for consolidation and deepening of the faith, which requires a bishop who people can understand and follow behind.

4. Was Msgr. Okpalaeke’s appointment made for the salvation of souls in Ahiara Diocese or was it done to pacify and compensate an individual? His appointment brings sadness to the people and not joy. Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province does not practise the universality of the church it preaches. All her bishops are indigenous while she is gunning to take over the third diocese of Owerri province. This is not universality but domination.

5. Okpalaeke’s selection as bishop of Ahiara Diocese is not based on truth, justice, and due process

6. Okpalaeke’s appointment has shaken the faith and confidence of the simple Catholics in Ahiara Diocese. People wonder if the Catholic Church has become like governments that favour the privileged class and those with connection to the higher ups at the expense of the poor.

7. There is no way it can be justified that out of the more than 500 hundred priests of Mbaise origin, there is not one single person who is suitable to be appointed bishop of Ahiara Diocese

The document was signed by Fr. Austin B. Ekechukwu, president of Association of Ahiara Diocesan Priests and Very Rev. Monsignor Donald Okoro [now late]. The letter was promptly delivered to His Grace, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama for him to deliver to the Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone.

On the second issue, the Caucus would promptly decide on holding a rally or a mass action that would involve as many Mbaise Catholics as possible on a specified date. It was decided that the mass action be a way to demonstrate Mbaise people’s anger to the world over the injustice that had been done to them. This was seen to be necessary to counteract what had begun to appear as the Nigerian bishops’ strategy, which was to keep the resistance secret and under cover so as to allow them argue that it was being organized by a few disgruntled priests and lay people. In view of this, the Caucus quickly arrived on a date for a big rally around Maria Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral, Ahiara. It was scheduled for Saturday, January 12, 2013.

A suggestion was made and adopted that Mbaise sons and daughters in the mass media be fully involved in both the planning and the execution of the programme. It would be the responsibility of the media practitioners from Mbaise to liaise and bring along with them the different media organizations across Nigeria and beyond to cover and report on the mass action to the rest of the world. As a result some members of the Caucus were detailed to fish out and contact all Mbaise sons and daughters who were in the mass media so as to bring them in to help out in the struggle.

Members of the Caucus noted that unless the grievances of Mbaise people were made known to the world, the struggle would not be successful. The key for the success of the resistance, they insisted, was to blow it open that the Catholics of Mbaise had overwhelmingly rejected the appointment of Msgr. Ebere Peter Okpalaeke from Awka in Anambra State as their bishop. The Caucus noted that while the bishops of the province and the nation would have an interest in keeping the crisis quiet so that they would find a way to smoulder it, it was the duty of Ahiara priests and lay people who were the primary victims of the injustice to cry out so that the Pope and the rest of the world would hear them.

On that note, a little subcommittee from the Caucus was put together to work on the press release that would be distributed to the journalists and the different news organizations that would be attending the rally. Some of the members of the Caucus who had background in journalism, canon law and other related professions were asked to begin immediately to put together the press release that would note and detail what grievances of the diocese were. The press release was conceived to be in form of presenting to the rest of the world, item by item, the grievances of the diocese on the appointment of Ebere Peter Okpalaeke as their bishop. And the first draft of the draft would read thus:

PRESS RELEASE

STATEMENT OF THE PRIESTS AND LAY FAITHFUL OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF AHIARA, MBAISE

ON THE APPOINTMENT OF MONSIGNOR EBERE PETER OKPALAEKE AS BISHOP-ELECT OF AHIARA DIOCESE

We, the priests and the lay faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara, Mbaise, Imo State of Nigeria, make the following declarations concerning the state of our diocese in the wake of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI’s appointment of Monsignor Ebere Peter Okpalaeke as the bishop-elect of our diocese:

1. We, the indigenous priests and lay faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara hereby individually and collectively state our allegiance to our Catholic faith and our unalloyed obedience and loyalty to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, the bishops of the universal church and the structures of authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

2. 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 in the Catholic Church. But we strongly contest his suitability for Ahiara Diocese given its uniqueness and pastoral realities.

3. We, the priests and lay faithful of Ahiara Diocese, having in view the peculiarities of our diocese, state that we categorically reject the appointment of Monsignor Ebere Peter Okpalaeke as the bishop-elect of Ahiara Diocese.

4. We are aware of some regrettable insinuations that it was disunity and infighting among the priests of Ahiara Diocese that led to the appointment of a priest from Awka Diocese as bishop-elect of our diocese. We hereby categorically deny the reality of any significant and substantiated issues of disunity and infighting among us. We the priests and the laity of Ahiara diocese declare that we maintained the appropriate decorum required for the selection of a credible bishop from our ranks. And we dare challenge anybody to provide any evidence to the contrary.

5. Some questions have been raised about how we could resolve the conflict between our unalloyed obedience and loyalty to the Holy Father and the structures of authority of the Catholic Church vis-à-vis our categorical rejection of the appointment of Monsignor Okpalaeke as our diocesan bishop. Let it be clearly stated that we are not disobeying the pope in this non-doctrinal matter. But our effort is to appeal to him to reconsider this administrative act that in our view has produced an unsuitable candidate for the bishopric of our diocese.

6. Impelled by the pastoral realities of our diocese and being solicitous for the promotion of the Catholic faith among our people, we believe we have obligation to reject anything that imperils the faith of our people. On this ground we affirm that:

7. Our opposition of the appointment of Monsignor Okpalaeke draws from our perception of the paramount importance of the salvation of the souls of our people. A theological aphorism that has always served the Catholic Church very well states that Salus Animarum suprema lex. The salvation of the souls of our people in Ahiara Diocese commands our primary allegiance before any other consideration.

8. The sustenance of the appointment of Monsignor Okpalaeke as bishop-elect of our diocese of Ahiara will not promote the spiritual wellbeing and the precious faith of our people. He speaks a different dialect from the one commonly understood in our diocese. His apostolate in the diocese would require a translator thereby throwing us back to the difficult days of the white missionaries in our land. And his unfamiliarity with the specifics of our culture will lead to a huge confusion in this era of great challenge from neo-paganism.

1. The appointment of Monsignor Ebere Peter Okpalaeke contradicts natural justice. It sends a very reprehensible signal about the status and reputation of the nearly five hundred Catholic priests that trace their origins to the soil of Mbaise; a diocese that has been globally acclaimed as the Ireland of Nigeria. Is it true, as the appointment insinuates, that among the nearly five hundred priests from Mbaise not a single one of them could be found worthy to be promoted to the rank of a bishop to shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ in Ahiara Diocese? We believe that any insinuation that there cannot be found credible Episcopal candidates from among the priests of Mbaise is a terrible slander and a great injustice. To us, the priests of Mbaise who are being maligned and embarrassed by Monsignor Okpalaeke’s appointment, it is an enormous injustice that cannot be allowed to stand. We feel that we have a strong moral obligation to fight injustice in the portrayal of the priests of Mbaise as incompetent, lacking faith and moral probity that the office of the bishop requires.

2. A sequel to the slander and discrediting of Mbaise priests is the fact that such an action demeans them and endangers the faith of our people. If Monsignor Okpalaeke were to take charge of the diocese of Ahiara, more than 99% of his priests would be indigenes of Mbaise who have been discredited before him as a bishop and before their brothers and sisters in Mbaise. How could they regain their reputation so as to sustain an effective evangelization of their people? Maintaining an appointment that discredits the Presbyterium will kill the glorious church of the Mbaise people. Fighting to prevent an appointment that will clearly destroy the wonderful faith of Mbaise is a cause that is worth fighting for, and if need be, laying down one’s life for.

3. The appointment of Monsignor Okpalaeke as bishop-elect of Ahiara Diocese sends a very terrible message about the state of the Catholic Church in Igboland and Nigeria as a whole. It states quite categorically that the only people credible enough and capable of serving as bishops in Igboland must be indigenes of a circumscribed geographical territory. In our view, it is a terrible scandal to insinuate that only people from Northern Igbo communities of Awka, Dunukofia, Aguata, etc, are the ones the Holy Spirit chooses to be bishops in Igboland. Such an impression if allowed to subsist will destroy the credibility of the Igbo Church. What will make the Church of Igboland succeed and thrive is justice and fairness. This cause is not being served in anyway by the appointment of Monsignor Peter Okpalaeke as bishop-elect of Ahiara Diocese.

4. Let it be known that Owerri Ecclesiastical Province consisting of six dioceses has already two bishops from Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province. Should the appointment of Monsignor Peter Okpalaeke succeed, half of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province would be controlled by bishops from Onitsha Province. Till date no priests or bishops from Owerri Province have been assigned as bishops whether auxiliaries or substantive in Onitsha Province. If the appointment of Monsignor Okpalaeke could be premised on the principle of the universality of the Church, a question must be asked whether the application of the principle is a one-way traffic.

5. Regrettably the pastoral performances of bishops brought in from Onitsha Province have been subpar. Their activities have hardly promoted the growth of the Catholic faith in their respective dioceses rather they have encouraged divisions among the clergy and the laity. Our greatest concern is to prevent the subjection of the clergy and faithful of Ahiara Diocese to these horrible experiences that are clearly known to us.

6. In the spirit of this year of faith and in the interest of the new evangelization, which aims at eliciting personal conviction and commitment, we the priests and lay faithful of Ahiara Diocese, earnestly appeal that a truly committed priest with an in depth knowledge of our uniqueness and culture be chosen as bishop of our diocese. This will certainly help sustain the growth of the faith of the church in Ahiara Diocese which our first bishop Most Rev Victor Adibe Chikwe ardently nourished with unflappable commitment, a faith that has been experiencing a steady growth since the past one hundred years.

7. In a world that is fast drifting into disbelief and challenged by sweeping Pentecostal erosion of the Catholic faith and life, coupled with the ferocious challenge from violent Islamic fundamentalism, we cannot afford to lose what we already have or make the faithful in our diocese lose faith and confidence in the Catholic Church.

8. We, the priests and lay faithful of Ahiara Diocese hereby restate our categorical rejection of the appointment of Monsignor Peter Okpalaeke as the bishop-elect of our diocese. In unequivocal terms we restate our resolve to resist any attempt to forcefully impose him on us as the bishop of our beloved diocese.