Bangui priests have gone on strike after Pope Benedict accepted the
resignation of Archbishop Paulin Pomodimo from the Central African
Republic and replaced him without consultation following an
investigation into priests living with women.
The Vatican announced May 26 that Archbishop Pomodimo, 54, of Bangui
had resigned under the terms of Canon 401.2 of the Code of Canon Law,
which states that "a diocesan bishop who has become less able to
fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is
earnestly requested to present his resignation from office," NZ
Catholic reports.
Passionist Father Ciro Benedettini, vice director of the Vatican press
office, said Archbishop Pomodimo resigned because of "insurmountable
difficulties in running the diocese."
The news agency Africa News had reported May 25 that Archbishop
Pomodimo and several priests in his archdiocese would be sanctioned
"for adopting a moral attitude which is not always in conformity with
their commitments to follow Christ in chastity, poverty and obedience."
The agency said Guinean Archbishop Robert Sarah, secretary of the
Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, had visited the Central
African Republic and "concluded that many local priests have official
homes, children and have accumulated private properties."
Africa News also reported that priests from nine of the country's
dioceses met May 22-24 in Bangui expressing their opposition to the
removal of the archbishop and accusing the Vatican of being
"discriminatory, partial and selective in the assessment of the
situation since white priests and bishops are also guilty of the same
practices."
The priests later announced they had launched a strike in protest at
the choice of a new archbishop of Bangui after his predecessor
resigned, AFP says.
"We, Centrafrican diocesan priests, (...) contest the appointment of
Father Dieudonne Nzapa-La-Ayinga as apostolic administrator of Bangui"
in place of Paulin Pomodimo, who resigned at 55 for undisclosed
reasons, Father Mathurin Paze Lekissan of the Bangui diocese told
journalists.
"We're ceasing all our pastoral activities (and) decide to stop
celebrating mass in public, which doesn't prevent us from holding it
among ourselves, and that begins today," the priest said.
Lekissan later told AFP that the strike was not directed at
Nzapa-La-Ayinga, the new prelate, but that the CAR clerics objected to
the lack of consultation by the Vatican ahead of his appointment.
"We contested his appointment because the whole of the clergy was
not consulted. Normally, in this kind of situation, the whole clergy is
consulted," Lekissan said.
SOURCE
Archbishop retires amid reports many of his priests are not celibate (NZ Catholic)
LINKS
Archdiocese of Bangui (Wikipedia)
Archbishop Paulin
Pomodimo (Wikipedia)
Centrafrican clergy strike over choice of archbishop (AFP)