Cardinal-designate, Bishop Peter Okpaleke - The stone that was rejected by the builder

Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke of Ekwulobia, Nigeria, who resigned from his episcopal ministry in 2018, is one of 21 new cardinals designated by Pope Francis.

59-year-old Bishop Peter Okpaleke was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1992. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI (now Emeritus) appointed Monsignor Okpaleke as the bishop of the Diocese of Ahiara. Due to tribal issues, the clergy, supported by a group of the lay faithful of the Diocese of Ahiara rejected Bishop Okpaleke`s appointment. The clergymen were discontent because the Bishop came outside of Mbaise; the priests also stated that as a West African nation they felt under-represented in the Church`s hierarchy.

In 2013, Bishop Okpaleke Episcopal ordination took place, but it happened outside of the Diocese of Ahiara, at Seat of Wisdom Seminary, Ulakwo, in the Archdiocese of Owerri (Nigeria); this happened because the clergy had forbidden the Bishop from setting foot in any part of the Diocese of Ahiara. The pushback from the clergy and their supporters continued even after the consecration of Nigerian Bishop’s, halting many church activities, including the diaconate ordination of some candidates.

In July 2017, Pope Francis demanded that all priests of the Diocese of Ahiara to write a letter pledging fidelity and accepting the appointment of Bishop Okpaleke as the head of their diocese. In the same month, 200 priests from the Diocese of Ahiara sent letters to the Pope, in which they pledged their fidelity and obedience. However, some of the clergy highlighted how they would psychologically struggle to collaborate with the Bishop Okpaleke subsequent to years of tensions. Through the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Pontiff urged the clergy of the Diocese of Ahiara “to reflect on the grave damage inflicted on the Church of Christ and expressed hope that in the future they will never again repeat such unreasonable actions opposing a Bishop legitimately appointed by the Supreme Pontiff.”

In a letter dated 14 February 2018, Bishop Okpaleke made his intentions to resign from his episcopal ministry in the Nigeria diocese known to Pope Francis. On 19 February 2018, the Pontiff accepted the resignation and the Bishop was relieved of his pastoral care duties of the Diocese of Ahiara. In 2020, Pope Francis erected the Diocese of Ekwulobia from the Diocese of Awka and he installed Bishop Okpaleke as the Bishop.

Bishop Peter Okpaleke is the stone that the builders rejected but later became the cornerstone. When Peter boldly preached to the Jewish rulers in Acts 4:8-12, he cited Psalm 118:22. He highlights that the people, including the Jewish rulers rejected Jesus but God elevated Him and made Him the cornerstone of salvation. The clergy of the Diocese of Ahiara like the Jewish rulers rejected Bishop Okpaleke; through Pope Francis, the Bishop has become a cornerstone and placed in a place of honor. By being a cardinal, Bishop Okpaleke he will become another stone that strengthens the structure of the Catholic Church.

Peter concluded his preaching with a powerful message when he said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved". Priests are in the person of Christ (in persona Christi), therefore, salvation is found in them too as representatives of Christ in their ministry. When Bishop Okpaleke was appointed to the Diocese of Ekwulobia, he in the person of Christ saved in that diocese.

In an email interview with the National Catholic Register, he gave the following response when he was asked about his plans to build up the local Church in the new diocese,

“The Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia was created out of the Catholic Diocese of Awka on March 5, 2020, by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. It has a total population of 984,415, among whom 602,115 are Catholics. The diocese was inaugurated on April 29, 2020, and I was installed as the first diocesan bishop. At the inauguration, we had 82 parishes and 245 priests and 20 religious houses made up of religious orders, one of which is cloistered, two semi-cloistered and eight that live active lives. Presently, there are 101 kindergartens with 5,832 pupils, 101 primary schools with 15,290 pupils and 17 secondary schools (comparable to the high school) with 5,297 students. There are also five hospitals and health centers. The creation of the diocese was received with a lot of enthusiasm by all the faithful. It unleashed a lot of positive energy. I experienced and continue to experience the grace of a new beginning. Everybody — the clergy, religious and the lay faithful — is eager to contribute to building up the diocesan family with their time, ideas, strength and financial resources. In short, all take ownership of the diocese. This makes the work easier for me. I pay attention to ensuring that we have an enabling environment to support and share the faith and to discern and encourage any initiative for the growth of the faith and the well-being of the people. In response to many local challenges, grassroots evangelization sums up the thrust of our effort with special interest on the family through integral formation of all. The catchphrase of our pastoral emphasis in the 2021/2022 pastoral year is “Catch them young and keep them for Christ.” This included the provision by each parish of audio-visual aid for children’s ministry — for instructing them in the faith and entertaining them. We are making arrangements to train a graphic artist in animation so that we can produce content locally with images that the children can easily relate to. We have already articulated some vision for harnessing the energy of young people and responding to the enormous socioeconomic, political and cultural challenges facing our people. The openness and responsiveness of the children and young people to the faith are for me a great source of hope for the Church and the society in Nigeria and elsewhere. We also lay emphasis on the ministry of the word. There is a hunger for the word of God. Yet human beings are facing enormous difficulties because of the new-media format. Many Catholics have also succumbed to routine. They come to Mass not expecting to be touched by God. All these [issues] make preaching the Gospel more challenging but exciting at the same time.”

 

The cardinal designates will, on 27 August 2022 be elevated as cardinals at an Ordinary Public Consistory at the Vatican.