Critical stakeholder in the Catholic Church and Patron of Christian Women Organisation (CWO) in Awka and Ekwulobia Dioceses in Anambra State, Hon (Chief) Modestus Umenzekwe (Onwa Achina) is ecstatic and jubilant over the recent elevation of Bishop Peter Ebele Okpaleke to Cardinal by the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis. The member of Board of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) says Okpaleke’s humility and patience during his travails at Ahiara Diocese resulted in his present position.
Based on this background, in this chat, he advised Nigerian leaders to learn from the humility of the new cardinal
The Pontiff, Pope Francis, recently elevated Bishop Peter Okpaleke to the status of Cardinal. What feelings did the news stir up in you?
Well, the news of the promotion is a very cheering one. The new Cardinal is my bishop and my Lord Spiritual. He is someone loved by the faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia, Anambra State. All the parishes in Ekwulobia do not joke with him. His appointment as Catholic Bishop of Ekwulobia was met with joy and great ovation. Incidentally, he is the first bishop of the newly created Ekwulobia Diocese. So, it is a welcome development and I am filled with joy and happiness. In fact, his humility has paid off. A young man for that matter, born March 1, 1963, at Amesi in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. The velocity with which he has risen to this rank is most unprecedented, and very exceptional. I thank the Holy See, Pope Francis, for finding him worthy of elevation to Cardinal.
You see, Okpaleke was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese on December 7, 2012, and was consecrated on May 21, 2013, at Seat of Wisdom Seminary, Owerri, Imo State. But unwarranted politics came up in the church, and the people of Ahiara Diocese rejected him for no just cause, probably because he was not from the Diocese of Ahiara, and not an indigene of Imo State. They chased him away and locked the cathedral. But the young man in his humility piped low, kept quiet and kept looking unto God. He didn’t publicise it on the pages of newspapers or television. In fact, he refused to grant interviews. He only made a statement, and I want to quote him: “I cannot discuss my spiritual life on the pages of newspaper.” Petitions started flying up and down to Rome, one allegation or the other, and I believe the church investigated all the allegations and found them to be false. Today, he has been recognized by the Pope as a Cardinal-elect.
How was the problem he had at the Ahiara Diocese settled?
When the pressure was much, he resigned as the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese on February 19, 2019. That is humility in action. He is not a desperate man but very intelligent.
If you check his life history, academic records and considering the time he was ordained a priest, I think his record is exceptional and second to none. The same Pope Benedict appointed him Bishop of Ekwulobia, in March 2020. You see, one thing stands him out, when you listen to his sermons, he has never mentioned Ahiara Diocese, he has never discussed his travail; he simply looked unto God. As a bishop, if he is to attend burial, for instance, he would come there even before the faithful, even before the congregation and you will see him with his rosary. The people kept wondering, so the bishop can come before the priests? And he didn’t make noise about it. Wherever he wanted to attend a programme, you would see priests running up and down to be there before him. For instance, if a burial mass was fixed for 10 am, Bishop Okpaleke would be there at 9 am. He would start the rosary and follow it. That is a sign of humility he drew from our Blessed Virgin Mary, who was a very humble woman; that was why she never made noise when her son, Jesus Christ, was crucified before her, and she didn’t utter a word. Bishop Okpaleke, if he was a woman I would have said that this is another Virgin Mary of our time, and today it has paid off. I congratulate him, I glorify God and I am happy with the Catholic faithful. I must thank the Pope for finding him, in the remote area of Ekwulobia, in a small town like Amaesi, and appointing him a cardinal.
Again, I want to thank the unique Catholic Church, which did not hurriedly issue statement on the bishop. Instead they to examine the allegations and study the situation before taking action. I thank them for being solidly behind him. I also want to thank the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria because in as much as I have not attended their meeting, I know there was no dissenting voice, you could see ovation everywhere.
What are the expectations from him, given his new position?
I am optimistic that as time goes on, he will go higher in that cardinal cadre. I am glad today my brother, my spiritual leader, my Nna ochie, because he is from my maternal home, is among those who will determine the faith of the Catholic Church in the whole world. He is among those who will elect the next Pope after the reign of the current Pontiff. Moreover, he is among those who maybe elected as Pope. This is a big lesson to Ahiara Diocese and to mankind, that the rejected stone is now the chief cornerstone of the house.
What lessons do you think Nigerian leaders should learn from the humility of Okpaleke?
Whether you are a bishop, cardinal, president or whatever, any time you find yourself in a leadership position, try to be humble, make yourself available to people, listen to their problems, solve the ones you can solve without any personal aggrandizement, counsel them very well, carry their burden as if they are your own, be bold to say the truth at all times; when you want to make appointments, make them in line with the rules, human conscience, and divine direction. Once you are able to do that, the sky will be your limit. A leader should be very prudent, show frugality in handling finances, not be greedy, but above all, must ensure discipline and be tough in decision making, so that nobody pushes you around. Also, a good leader should be open to criticism; once you are able to do some of these things the sky is your limit. You don’t need to blow your trumpet, Okpalaeke never blew his trumpet. He is not known as a rich man, the oath he took is even oath of poverty and chastity and you can’t see him bragging. Call him on the phone, he will pick your call anytime, send him message he will reply, not much protocol in his office; once it is your turn, you can see him, if he is passing, you won’t even know that Bishop Okpaleke is the one, and you see the glory of God following in him all through the societal labyrinths, navigating his way, clearing the obstacles for him, and that is the same way He will take him to heaven at the last day. So, I think it will be in the best interest of all Nigerian leaders, whether in religion, politics and other areas to emulate Bishop Okpaleke.https://cf7f37ded031576236dac94c6b605731.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
What impact do you think the appointment of Bishop Okpaleke as cardinal will have on Nigeria?
It really shows that Nigeria has come to stay. It has cleaned a lot of things, a lot of bad image being giving to Nigeria by some countries; it is a clincher, it has shown that Nigeria is not as bad as people paint her because the way people talk about Nigeria, you will think that everybody here is the devil, but today his ascendancy to the position of cardinal, his Eminence as the title, has cleared a lot of things for this country. I want to encourage the international community to see Nigeria as their own, to invest in the giant of Africa. Yes, there are shortcomings which are visible in almost all the countries of the world, including the super countries, we are learning. It took some of those countries, 300 to 400 years before they came to that level they are currently, and that is the process we are going through in this country. Therefore, Nigeria is a good country, and out of this country, we have gotten the elevation of a young bishop to the rank of Cardinal. It is a very good development. You can see commendations coming from everywhere, all the churches, all the religions are jubilating. In Lagos, close to my office , when this news broke out everybody was drinking, praising God without saying this is religion A or religion B. We all gathered and started singing, clapping and praising God for what he has done for Nigeria, so it is a good development, it is a good image for Nigeria in the comity of nations.
How available do you think Okpaleke will be to the faithful in Ekwulobia Diocese now that he is a Cardinal?
Cardinal Arinze who is close to 90, is he not available to Nigerians? Is he not available to Onitsha Diocese? Is he not available to Nkwerezunaka or so? Is he not available to Ndigbo? So, wherever he is doesn’t matter, I don’t know their law as to where he will be, but wherever he is, he will be available.
In what way do you think he can contribute to nation building?
Ever before becoming a bishop, he has been contributing through his sermons. I am not armed with the materials, but if I should present the things, you can see that in his sermons, all he talks about is good governance, good character, love, evangelization of mankind and the ultimate goal of getting to heaven. You see him talking about government policies, both the good and bad ones. As a Reverend Father, he started the work, then when he rose to the rank of Bishop, his voice started echoing more. Now that he is made a Cardinal, he can reach the president of any country, he is part of the formulation of polices in every country, he can talk to any president in the world and bare his mind without minding whose ox is gored; and if such president is intelligent enough, he should listen to him. So his assignment is for the whole world, not just Nigeria. And incidentally, I think, when he is installed in August this year, he will be the only functional cardinal from Nigeria, because the other ones are either retired or getting to retirement age. Cardinal Arinze will be 90, Onaiyekan, I think is retired, Okogie is retired, Cardinal Ikandem retired too. So, he is the only functional Cardinal, and age is on his side. He is not up to 60, so wherever the other ones stopped, he will start from there to build upon their successes and improve upon them as a young man.
Do you think the elevation of Okpalaeke is a way God compensated him for all his travails at Ahiara Diocese?
Yes, of course. God says when you humble yourself, he will elevate you. You see, the way he behaves, he will still not discuss Ahiara Diocese, you may find out that if he gets to Rome he might keep mute, when cardinals gather to discuss dioceses, you may find Okpaleke keep quiet once it comes to Ahiara Diocese, because he believes God has a way of doing things. But if there is an advice to be given to Ahiara Diocese, that is where you will see him, advice that will see them come out of the woods, advice that will make them have better understanding, advice that will make them grow in spirituality and advice that will make them fall in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. That is where you may see him talk, he is not known to reward bad with bad, he will always tell you leave it to God.
So, are you saying that it pays to be patient and humble in life?
Yes, a patient dog eats the fattest bone. I said it before, you have to be humble and patient like our blessed Mother, Virgin Mary, who was the epitome of patience and humility. When one is not greedy, God will give the person the wisdom to get somewhere. People may laugh at you, people may call you all manner of names, they may call you mumu and idiot, but God will call you a wise man. You can see that today, God has called Bishop Okpaleke a wise man.
Now that Okpaleke has been made a cardinal, what would you want him to do for the Diocese of Ekwulobia?
I am not speaking for Ekwulobia Diocese, but as a staunch Catholic, a subject in the Catholic faith, member of Christian Men Oganisation and as a patron of Catholic Women Organisation, Awka and Ekwulobia Dioceses, I will advise and request him to always have us in his prayers, direct us well, lead us well, as he has been leading. He is from that diocese and he knows all our problems, so I don’t need to tell him what to do. For instance, in your house, I can’t come and start telling you the problems of your household, while you are the head of that house. So, the way he has been carrying us as a shepherd, let him continue, and do more, while we, the faithful will put our knees down, embrace our Mother, Blessed Virgin Mary and commit him to God Almighty, so that he will have long life, good health, wisdom, intelligence and what it takes to lead the people of God into heaven.
What do you have to tell the people of Ekwulobia Diocese?
I will say congratualtions to Ekwulobia Diocese and our mother diocese, the Catholic Diocese of Awka. I am also congratulating our mother bishop, Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor of Awka Diocese, a perfect gentleman, a dogged fighter, negotiator and a time keeper in a most special way because Ekwulobia Diocese was carved out of Awka Diocese, and at no material time did Bishop Ezeokafor object to that. His large heartedness helped things to walk out. So, till tomorrow, we still see Ezeokafor as our big father. And then, to all the bishops in Nigeria, I say thank you to all of them for speaking with one voice, for standing solidly behind Ekwulobia Diocese, for standing solidly behind Bishop Okpaleke, for their happiness in this elevation. Then above all, Archbishop Valerian Maduka Okeke of Onitsha Archdiocese. He is the overall father in the east, I thank him so much for his support, advice and genuine moves to make sure things do not go wrong.
Source: The Sun
