On First Episcopal Anniversary, Catholic Bishop in Nigeria Grateful for “fruits of the journey so far”

Prior to the Thanksgiving Mass, Bishop Nwobi presided at the distribution of food items to vulnerable members of his Episcopal See.

He distributed 10 mini bags of rice to 10 recipients from each of the 89 parishes in his Diocese, as well as to the lay diocesan workers. 

The Catholic Church leader thanked the people of God who made the food apostolate a reality.

The Catholic Diocese of Ahiara was under the temporary leadership of Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji of Nigeria’s Owerri Archdiocese as Apostolic Administrator since February 2018 following the resignation of Bishop Peter Okpaleke, now Cardinal.

The December 2012 Episcopal appointment of then Bishop-elect Okpaleke was rejected by a section of Clergy and Laity of the Nigerian Diocese, who claimed that he, a member of the Clergy of Nigeria’s Awka Diocese, comes from outside the dominant ethnic group of Ahiara Diocese, the Mbaise.

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Those who protested the appointment of then Bishop-elect Okpaleke argued that members of the Clergy of Ahiara Diocese were under-represented in the Catholic Church hierarchy in Nigeria.

He was impeded from setting foot in the territory covered by Ahiara Diocese; and his May 2013 Episcopal Ordination took place outside Ahiara Diocese, in Nigeria’s Owerri Archdiocese. As Bishop, he was not allowed to access the Diocese, even after Pope Francis, in July 2017, directed all members of Clergy of Ahiara Diocese to pledge fidelity to him in writing, and to express their acceptance of the appointment of then Bishop Okpaleke as their Shepherd.

Having failed to exercise his Episcopal Ministry in the Nigerian Diocese, Bishop Okpaleke made known to Pope Francis his decision to resign in writing. On 19 February 2018, the Holy Father accepted Bishop Okpaleke’s resignation and “relieved him of the pastoral care of the Diocese of Ahiara.” He was later appointed pioneer Bishop of Nigeria’s Ekwulobia Diocese, which had been erected on 5 March 2020.

Born in March 1960, Bishop Nwobi, a native of Nigeria’s Ahiara Diocese, was ordained a Priest in July 1990 after taking his first and perpetual vows as a Claretian.

The Bishop who was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in October 2023 and assigned the Titular See of Rusguniae holds a Diploma in Public Administration from Enugu State University of Science and Technology in Nigeria.

At his Episcopal Ordination on 19 December 2023, Archbishop Ugorji said the Ordination of Bishop Nwobi, “marks the first time ever a Bishop is ordained on the hallowed soil of Ahiara Diocese.”

He added, “The ordination of Bishop Simeon Nwobi is the greatest fruit of the spring time in the Diocese of Ahiara, inaugurated when I began my mission of peace in Ahiara Diocese five years ago.  I have no doubt that the Consecration today of Bishop Simeon Nwobi will completely heal the wounds of division.”

Bishop Nwobi was appointed Local Ordinary of Ahiara Diocese on May 3 and installed on June 20.

In his address during the June 20 installation, Bishop Nwobi called upon the people of God to consider him their servant.

“I stand before you today not as a man elevated, but as a servant entrusted with a sacred duty to uphold the deposit of faith, to shepherd God’s flock, and to act as a beacon of hope in the world's darkness,” he said. 

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Bishop Nwobi emphasized the need for collaboration between members of the Clergy, women and men Religious, and the Laity in his Episcopal See, and added, “The office of a Bishop is more than administrative. It’s a call to emulate Christ; it’s a call to be a good shepherd, shepherding his people with compassion and with steadfastness.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.