By Baron Ike
Hope rises for a final resolution of the crisis rocking Mbaise Diocese in Ahiara as the head of the Catholic Church in Rome, Pope Francis has scheduled a crucial meeting with a delegation of Priests from Ahiara for next month.
The meeting, Armadanews.com learnt, is expected to be the last critical move to be made for the resolution of the crisis which has dogged Mbaise Diocese for years now without end.
The Catholic faithful in Mbaise are being encouraged to commit the trip in their prayers and more importantly, for a peaceful resolution of the problem.
Mbaise Diocese has been without a substantive Bishop for sometime now after most of the priests in the area allegedly engineered a rejection of the Bishop sent to them to replace late Bishop Chikwe on the grounds that he was not an indigene.
One Rev Father Bede Ekechukwu and another Rev Father Dominic Ekweariri are believed to be the arrowheads of the protests against a non Mbaise as their Bishop.
They had argued that Cardinal Arinze influenced the appointment of Mosignor Peter Okpaleke as Bishop for Mbaise, noting that they come from the same Anambra State.
Events were almost getting out of hand when they prevented the new Bishop from assuming office leading to police intervention.
To bring the matter to a temporary close, Pope Francis detailed Cardinal John Onaikan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja to provide administrative support pending final resolution of the crisis.
Since the matter started non of the young priests who had completed their priesthood has been ordained or posted out of Mbaise.
Opinions have been divided among those who are for and those against the appointment of Okpaleke, but it is believed that selfish consideration rather than love for Diocese may have influenced the decision of those leading the protest.
It is hoped that with this meeting with Pope Francis the matter will be dealt with finally, according to a Catholic faithful who gave her name as Joy Opara.