The Vatican on Monday said it had to stand down Bishop Francis Okpaleke as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese.
Okpaleke had been appointed as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese but was roundly rejected by the priests and laity.
Several appeals and intervention to the priests of the Diocese to allow Okpaleke function as Bishop was unsuccessful prompting Pope Francis to read a riot act to the Ahiara priests to resign.
It was unknown if they complied but it was learnt some of them issued apologies to the papacy.
The Vatican however announced that Okpaleke was resigning and that Pope Francis had named Monsignor Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji as Ahiara’s temporary administrator.
Details later…