Even as the Pope's 30 days' ultimatum for the priests and laity of Ahiara Diocese to accept Bishop Okpaleke as their Bishop has since expired, the nealry 5 years' old crisis lingers still as the parishioners refused to respect papal authority.

The Order of The Knights of Saint Mulumba, Nigeria have written to the protesting priests and laity to obey the Pope and accept papal authority in this matter.

For the uninformed, Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, a native of Amesi in Aguata LGA of Anambra State was appointed Bishop of Ahiara Diocese in Mbaise, Owerri, Imo State in 2012. However, since then to date, the priest and laity of Ahiara Diocese has rejected the appointment and have insisted that they will only accept a bishop of Mbaise extraction rather than a "foreigner".

It is to be seen if these rebel priests/laity will obey the Knights of St. Mulumba after having disregarded the authority of the Pope.

https://www.google.com.ng/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwirl8bj8pTVAhULJsAKHZuRB8QQFgggMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanguardngr.com%2F2017%2F07%2Fahiara-diocese-stand-pope-knights-st-john%2F&usg=AFQjCNEnkv0cPGSKSiCAdIBsw3h4L0dH6g

@OAM4J over to you.

When they wouldn't listen to papal authority it's now knights of St Mulumba they'll listen to?

After 5yrs


They ve failed


Thought they re bond by outh to protect the church

malificent:
When they wouldn't listen to papal authority it's now knights of St Mulumba they'll listen to?

Maybe serious Igbo Catholics on NL can help educate some of us who aren't Igbo and aren't religious either.

Why are the Mbaise folks so adamant in their demand to drag this matter for 5 long years? Is thier a historical context to this crisis that we are missing?

How many bishops are there in Igbo parishes and how many of these are indigenes?

What about the bishopric elsewhere in Nigeria? Are there many indigenous bishops in parishes/dioceses or is appointment more random?

How many Mbaise born bishops do we have and are there any of them holding forth in other diocese?

If the Catholic Church adopts indigene as appointment policy in Nigeria, is it practibale and can such policy work?

What am I missing in this fight?

The Cannon Law specifies a process of through which a bishop is selected or appointed. The priests and laity's concerns is that the process was thwarted and a bishop was imposed on them.

The matter is deep, its expected that the hierarchy of the catholic church in Nigeria should have done justice to the issues before it went out of hand.

Those who fight injustice should not have received condemnation.

There is no indigene of Mbaise who is a bishop and they have more than 700 Reverend Fathers all over the world.