Ahiara Catholic Diocese Bishop-Elect Saga No Going Back on Msgr. Okpaleke As Church Begins Prayer For Acceptance

anthony anyanwu

Worried over the continued rejection of the appointment of Msgr. Peter Ebere Okpaleke as the Bishop Elect of Ahiara Diocese by the Clergy and Laity of Mbaise, Bishops of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province has made it clear that there is no going back on the pronouncement by the Vatican.

In a communiqué issued after their meeting at the Bishops Conference Hall Assumpta Pastoral Centre Owerri titled, “The way forward” the Catholic Bishops of the province drew the attention of the Mbaise Catholic fatefuls to a Quotation from the Canon Law, “There is neither appeal nor recourse against the Judgment or decree of the Roman Pontiff” (C.333&3).

The Bishops said, “Trusting in the Mercy of God and relying on the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we hereby declare a special week of prayer in the province for healing, peace and harmony within Ahiara diocese, from Sunday 3^rd March to Sunday 10^th March, 2013. This intention should be included in the Holy Masses, Adoration, Recitation of the Rosary and Stations of the Cross within the designated week of prayer”.

The Bishops finally urged the people of Mbaise, “In this Holy season of Lent when Holy Mother Church invites all her children to a change of heart, we ask the clergy, Laity and Religious of Ahiara diocese to come together, join hands and begin to prepare for the ordination of Msgr. Okpalaeke”.