•We’ll not accept imposition of bishop- The laity insists

… As Okorocha appeals for calm

From George

Onyejiuwa, Owerri

There was tension yesterday at the Ahiara Catholic Diocese in Ahiazu Mbaise Council Area of Imo state as the planned public protest and procession by the laity council over the appointment of Peter Ebele Okpalaeke as the Bishop of the diocese was aborted by the heavy presence of armed policemen and other security agencies who were stationed at all strategic junctions leading to the diocese.

This was just as the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha has appealed for calm, urging the priests and laity of the diocese to sheathe their swords.

However, the people of Ahiara diocese have restated their rejection of Okpaleke as the Bishop of the diocese.

The angry faithful of the diocese said they were only fighting alleged imposition of a bishop on the diocese and not the Catholic Pontiff.

The President of Laity Council of Ahiara Diocese, Chief Gerald Anyanwu who addressed the people after their procession within the precincts of the Cathedral disclosed that they had come for a prayer meeting only for them to discover that the entrance to the Cathedral had been locked which resulted in most of the members going back home as the police denied members access to hold their meeting.

According to him, “The police denied the members of the church the permission to hold their peaceful prayer procession in the church. The entrance to the church was locked and that resulted in some members of the church going back home, before we were allowed access to the church where we later had our prayer procession which was primarily to pray to our God to right the injustice done to the people of Ahiara”.

Anyanwu said that it had not been heard before now that a Bishop was forced on the people, adding that it would not start with Ahiara Diocese. He pointed out that while nobody was contesting the fact that the Pope has the final say in the appointment of bishops, the people of the diocese do not want Okpaleke as their bishop.

“We are not saying that the Pope is no longer the head of the Catholic Church nor are we saying that the Pope is not infallible in the teaching of the scripture, but the Pope is not infallible in administration, because he most often relies on people around him to make decisions especially on  issues of appointments.”

Speaking in the same vein, Chief Anthony Njoku, President of the Diocesan Catholic Men Organization, said that they were backing their priests in the fight against the injustice, and that they would not shift their position on the issue till the right thing was done.

He pointed out that it could take them a long time to have a diocese and that they would not allow the sufferings of our pioneer bishop, Victor Chikwe to be in vain. He insisted that any attempt to forcefully bring in Okpaleke would be vehemently resisted.

Also, Dr Leona Ohanu, Vice President of the Diocesan Catholic Women Organization said that they would accept anybody incardinated in Mbaise as the bishop of the diocese apart from  Okpaleke.

Meanwhile, Governor Okorocha who visited the diocese in company with the Commissioner of Police, and head of other security agencies in the state has appealed for calm.

Okorocha who addressed the anxious members of the Church after his close door meeting with the priests said that he was at the Diocese to reassure the people that there was no truth in the rumour that there were plans to use armed security agents to forcefully install Bishop Okpaleke and that he had come to ensure that there was peace in the Diocese as the  Chief Security Officer of the state.

He asked both the priests and the laity to sheathe their swords to avoid creating unnecessary tension that could breach the peace in the area.