AHIARA DIOCESE- SOLUTION IN SIGHT ………AS OKPALEKE MAY RESIGN

AHIARA DIOCESE- SOLUTION IN SIGHT ………AS OKPALEKE MAY RESIGN

By Max Opara

The crises rocking the Ahiara Mbaise catholic diocese over the choice of a bishop for the diocese may soon come to an end as there are strong indication s that Fr Peter Okpaleke whose appointment as the bishop of the diocese was rejected by the Mbaises may be prevailed to resign by the church authourity. 

This resignation we gather will pave way for the appointment of another diocesesan administrator who will prepare the grounds for the nomination and ordination of an acceptable bishop for the area since the former administrator, Arch Bishop John Onaiyekan has been indicted and accused of complicity in the whole saga by the people of Mbaise.
It is rumoured that Arch Bishop Gbuji of the Enugu diocese is the one preferred as the new administrator by the church heirachy and authourity.
However, information reaching us has it that the Mbaises are insisting on nothing short of a substantive indigenous bishop for their diocese or nothing. This was their message to the Pope through Cardinal Peter  Apia Turkson, of the Vatican who came on behalf of the secretary of state of the Vatican city, Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the instance of the Pope to hear the from the people of Mbaise for the first time and also ascertain their position on the Okpaleke issue. 

Cardinal Turkson who interacted with the people and priests of Mbaise during his two day visit to the area was shocked with the total resolve of the Mbaise people and their clergy to continue agitating against the choice of Okpaleke or even the appointment of another administrator while insisting that an indigene of the area must be appointed as bishop of the area which they said the Pope himself preaches and emphasizes on.

It is therefore strongly believed that the Vatican after reviewing the position of the Mbaise people may be compelled to oblige the people of Mbaise for fairness and equity sake and to also save the church in the area. 
Efforts made to obtain the letter which Cardinal Turkson brought from the Vatican and which was read at the meeting with both the anti and pro Okpaleke clergy groups proved abortive as we were told it is strictly for the clergy.
We gather that the Okpaleke's group has been sponsoring media outings where they twisted and interpreted the papal letter to favour them but an inside source revealed to us that part of the content of the letter has it that the Pope said he signed the reappointment letter of Okpaleke in expectation that the people of Mbaise will accept him. 
However, analysts are of the view that the  Pope who is aware of the peoples position on the issue should reconsider the appointment of Okpaleke since his expectation from the people failed.

However,we gather that popular opinion has maintained that the Catholic Bishops Council Of Nigeria, CBCN, which was accused by the priests of the area of being the force behind Okpaleke should see reasons to oblige  the people of Mbaise especially after the visit of the papal envoy.