While there is much which Pope Francis has said and done which I believe has been truly inspired by the working of the Holy Spirit, I have found some of his decisions to be profoundly disheartening and disturbing to me as well.
Such is the case recently as the Pope has given Priests belonging to the Diocese of Ahiara, Nigeria, 30 days to write a letter promising obedience to him and accepting the Bishop appointed for their diocese.
Priests who do not write will be suspended, according to the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
On June 8, Nigerian Church leaders met Pope Francis to discuss the situation of Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, who was appointed Bishop of Ahiara by then-Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, but who has been unable to take control of the diocese because of protests, apparently by the majority of priests.
Immediately following that meeting, the Vatican issued a short communique, describing the situation in the diocese as “unacceptable.”
According to the Bishops in attendance at the meeting, the Pope had considered taking an even more drastic step by suppressing the diocese entirely. However, he relented suggesting that the Church could not abandon those entrusted to her maternal and spiritual care.
Quoting the Holy Father, the Bishops in attendance quoted the Holy Father as having said: “the people of God are scandalized. Jesus reminds us that whoever causes scandal must suffer the consequences.”
Apparently, the protests have been motivated by the fact that Bishop Okpaleke is not a local priest.
When the Bishop was appointed to the diocese, the announcement was met by protests and petitions calling for the appointment of a Bishop from among the laity and local Clergy.
A petition to Pope Benedict launched by the “Coalition of Igbo Catholics” said, “That no Priest of Mbaise origin is a bishop today … is mind boggling. Mbaise has embraced, enhanced the growth of and sacrificed for the Catholic Church, has more priests per capita than any other diocese in Nigeria and certainly more than enough pool of Priests qualified to become the next Bishop of the Episcopal See of Ahiara Diocese, Mbaise.”
And in fact, according to the Vatican, the diocese has close to 423,000 Catholics and 110 diocesan Priests.
Trying to calm the situation, in July 2013, Pope Francis appointed an Apostolic Administrator of the diocese, and the following December he sent Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, then-president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, to Ahiara to listen to the concerns of the diocesan Priests and local laity.
It appears that now, however, the days of patience have come to an end and Francis is demanding that the Priests of the diocese either accept the Bishop assigned to them or suffer the ultimate punishment of suspension a divinis, that is, a total loss of Priestly ministry.
What is most disturbing to me about this story and others like it is the fact that Pope Francis, God love him, is disposed to be tolerant and accepting of human frailty and failure to all except those in the Sacred Priesthood.
If there is one consistent aspect to this Papacy it’s this: Pope Francis is the harshest critic and judge of Priests.
The Holy Father has shown little appetite or desire to offer to Priests the "accompaniment” he so often and fondly speaks of when ministering to others who have either opposed or failed in their adherence to Church doctrine and moral teaching.
In this case in particular, it seems that both the Clergy and Laity have said that they are disheartened that no Priest of Mbaise origin has been ordained a Bishop, especially since their diocese has more Priests per capita than any other in Nigeria.
Is such a sentiment unreasonable?
Can there be no room for dialogue and resolution?
Is the final response to what the local Church feels is an injustice really going to be punitive, and repressively so?
I pray that the Holy Father will relent, that cooler heads will prevail and that the Church in Nigeria and the Vatican can find a solution which is mutually respectful of each other’s concerns.
I pray that Francis will be disposed in the future to provide as much comfort and support to Priests as he is so ready to do in the case of errant sinners.
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