Roman Catholic Diocese of Ahiara

Diocese of Ahiara Dioecesis Ahiaranus
Location
Country	Nigeria
Territory	Mbaise, Imo State
Ecclesiastical province	Owerri
Metropolitan	Archbishop of Owerri
Coordinates	5°31′40.2″N 7°16′23.9″E / 5.527833°N 7.273306°E / 5.527833; 7.273306 Ahiara
Statistics
Area	425 km² (164 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2004) 510,623 401,506 (78.6%)
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	November 18, 1987
Cathedral	Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Peter Okpalaeke
Map
Ahiara is in Imo State which is shown in red.
Website
AhiaraDiocese.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ahiara (Latin: Ahiaran(us)) is a diocese located in Ahiara in the region of Mbaise in Imo State in the Ecclesiastical province of Owerri in Nigeria.

History

November 18, 1987: Established as Diocese of Ahiara from the Diocese of Owerri

Special churches

The Cathedral is Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral in Ahiara.

Leadership

Bishop Victor Adibe Chikwe (1987-2010)

Since 2012, the clergy and laity of the diocese have refused to accept the bishop appointed as their ordinary, Peter Okpalaeke, because he is not of the Mbaise ethnic group or chosen from among the local priests.^[1]^[2]^[3]

On July 3, 2013, Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, was appointed Apostolic Administrator.

On June 8, 2017, Pope Francis, having received a delegation from the Diocese, gave all members of the diocesan clergy (priests and deacons) 30 days to personally write to the Vatican pledging obedience to the Pope and accepting Bishop Okpalaeke. Those who failed to write would be suspended a divinis (which would prohibit a priest or deacon from administering any of the Sacraments, save for a priest hearing the Confession of a person in danger of death), and would be removed from their posts. He had considered suppressing the diocese, but decided against that idea.^[1]^[4]^[5] The papal text in English was posted June 9 on the blog of Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jos, president of the Nigerian bishops' conference.^[6] On July 8, it was reported that while the letter of apology was sent, the appointment of Bishop Okpalaeke was still rejected by the local priests who insisted that the Vatican was enforcing racial discrimination in the country by hiring outsider priests to become Bishops.^[7] Although Code of Canon Law Can. 377 §1. says, "The Supreme Pontiff freely appoints bishops or confirms those legitimately elected",^[8] some Nigerian priests based their objections on misinterpretation of paragraph §2 of the same Can. 377.^[9]

On July 22, 2017 Pope Francis agreed to personally respond to the priests protesting Bishop Okpalaeke's appointment.^[10] Two days later, Barr Chizoba Nnagboh, chairman of the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN), announced that the priests in the Ahira diocese were suspended and the diocese now had sanctions as well.^[11]

References

External links

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