By Sam Eyoboka

EXACTLY two weeks after the 30-day papal ultimatum to all Ahiara Catholic priests to apologise and accept Peter Okpalaeke as their bishop, the 529-member Ahiara Diocese Worldwide Laity Council has written another letter to Pope Francis, praying for justice and protection from a “rapacious predator.”

The latest letter dated Sunday, July 23, 2017, was signed by 529 members of a global network of Catholics with roots and or relationships traceable to the Ahiara Presbyterium, of Nigeria, constituted to promote the social and pastoral health of members and the Diocese, using all resources available to them globally.

Entitled: “We pray to you for justice, for a Bishop Incardinated in our Presbyterium—We Have Been Taken Advantage of, as Orphans,” the letter openly accused Emeritus Francis Cardinal Arinze of being behind the oppression of “orphan diocese,” and passionately pleaded with the Catholic Pontiff to deliver them from miscarriage of justice.

Pope Francis salutes as he gives his traditional Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on December 25, 2014 at the Vatican. AFP PHOTO

In the latest letter, the Laity Council argued that when the pioneer bishop of Ahiara Diocese, Most Rev. Victor Chikwe, died on September 16, 2010, diocese became an orphan diocese, noting that late bishop’s wish that “his successor be selected from among his 21 qualified recommendations, were scorned at, and disregarded by those entrusted to care for his ‘orphan diocese’.”

Continuing, the letter said: “Specifically speaking its “Elder Brother” Onitsha Ecclesiastical Archdiocese, under the guidance of Francis Cardinal Arinze, took advantage of Ahiara at its most vulnerable period. They not only unlawfully covet the Ahiara Episcopate, they also embarked on a vicious campaign to rubbish and dehumanize not only the Ahiara Diocese but the entire Mbaise community.

“Its ordeal started about five years ago, when His Lordship Bishop Peter Okpalaeke was posted to replace the Late Bishop Victor Chikwe, as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, in a flagrant violation of due process as prescribed by the Code of Canon Law (Can. 377 §2), and against established precedence in Nigeria since at least 2008.

“According to the data, of the almost 40 Bishops and or Auxillary Bishops ordained in Nigeria, since 2008, none has been ordained and posted outside its indigenous ecclesiastical province or province of incardination EXCEPT Bishop Peter Okpalaeke.

“This act, which we termed “Episcopal Grab” in our previous letter to you, also smacks of excessive greed, violation and shameful abuse of an “orphan” Diocese, by its “Elder Brother” caretaker—The Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province.

“It is worthy of note that when it comes to the Catholic faith, Ahiara Diocese has more Catholic faithful per capita than any Diocese in Nigeria, while the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province has more representation in the Catholic hierarchy per capita than any ecclesiastical province in Nigeria,” the letter pointed out.

The Laity Council blamed the situation on what the described as the “intimidating influence of Cardinal Arinze,” adding that the Ontisha Ecclesiastical Province supplied all the seven bishops in its province, as well as at Aba, Okigwe, Benin, and Minna.

According to the protesters, the Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province recently promoted two priests to Auxillary bishops at Awka and Ontisha, noting that the new Nuncio in Ireland is from the province.

“Interestingly the current Bishop of Awka is from Awka, the one he succeeded is from Awka, the Auxillary bishop likely to succeed him is also from Awka. It also has the crown jewel of them all, Emeritus Cardinal Francis Arinze.

“His Holiness, maybe these are all deserved, and may God bless them because as people from the same ethnic group, Igbo, we believe in meritocracy, but it becomes unacceptably oppressive, when one that has it all, would trample on the law, shred precedence, lunge uncharacteristically across ecclesiastical provincial lines, in other to snatch a lone opportunity, undeservedly too, from its brother Ahiara Episcopate—with 21 legally recommended qualified candidates in the pipeline—who, yes happen to be of the same ethnic group, Igbo, but only with no godfather to speak for it,” the letter further argued.

The Council expressed sadness that the Pope’s name has been falsely used to “rubber stamp”ia what they described as “this ecclesiastical crime, that has torned apart friends and neighbors, that one would rather wish it away.

“However, should Ahiara be contemptuously raped and asked to be quiet in order to protect the more powerful “elder brother” predator, so that peace will reign? That would be unfair and a miscarriage of justice.

“The Ahiara Episcopal Grab, should never have happened, it is egregious, and just as it is professionally requested of rape victims, Ahiara is speaking out, enduring savage attacks, so it will never happen elsewhere again. Ahiara has been deprived, dispossessed but will never stay dumb,” it affirmed.

According to the signatories, “it is against this background, that we collectively raise our clenched fists in prayer to you, to give us justice, to protect your ‘orphan diocese’ from the rapacious predator who, like a proverbial king of the world, would stump at an ant to deny it microscopic crumbs.

“Holy Father, we will continue to have you in our prayer, as we have the honor to profess ourselves with the most profound respect,” they maintained, attaching a table of Bishops appointed in Nigeria since 2008 showing that Bishop Okpalaeke is the inly Bishop appointed across provinces even when not incardinated in that province.