Pope Francis has told a group of Nigerian priests to pledge obedience to him or face suspension from the church.
The row is over the refusal by clergy in the diocese of Ahiara to accept the appointment of a bishop made in 2012.
The pontiff told an audience of Nigerian Catholics in Rome last week that the “people of God are scandalised” by what has happened.
It is unusual for the pope to issue this kind of threat, says the BBC’s religion correspondent Martin Bashir.
He gave the clergy until 9 July to each write a letter declaring their obedience to him and asking for forgiveness.
The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, was at the meeting in Rome and told the BBC that the pope was very sad about what was happening and he could see “the pain in his eyes”.
“He was upset that his children were going in a different direction,” the archbishop added.
Ever since Bishop Peter Okpaleke was appointed by the Pope’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, Archbishop Kaigama has been part of a group trying to persuade the clergy in Ahiara, south-eastern Nigeria, to accept the appointment.
He told the BBC that the problem was that the local clergy and the bishop were from different clans of the Igbo ethnic group.
He added that the priests also questioned why someone from outside the diocese was appointed when one of them was just as qualified,
In 2012, the clergy held protests and coordinated petitions asking for a bishop to be chosen from the area.
Praying ‘for God’s intervention’
But Archbishop Kaigama argued that the “Catholic church has been operating like this for hundreds of years and that’s not going to change now because they want someone from their area.
“The Pope needs absolute obedience.”
Ahiara is in Mbaise, a predominantly Catholic region of Imo State, while Bishop Okpaleke is from neighbouring Anambra State.
It is not clear if the clergy has responded to the ultimatum.
In the meantime, Archbishop Kaigama said, he, and other Nigerian Catholics, were praying “for God’s intervention” to help find a solution.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
