November 4, 2016 By Mohamed Massaquoi
President of Catholic Priests in Sierra Leone, Father Peter Conteh, has told Concord Times in an exclusive interview that the Dioceses of Makeni still needed a Bishop to carry out spiritual responsibility on behalf of the Catholic faith, adding that despite members of the Makeni congregation had asked for forgiveness, yet it was now the responsibility of the Pope to nominate another Bishop in replacement of Bishop Henry Aruna, who was rejected by members of the Makeni Dioceses in 2013.
Father Peter Conteh said over 80% of the Priests within the country were in Makeni, among other worshipers, to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness, adding that even though the ceremony was not specifically targeting the Dioceses of Makeni, but was necessary that the ceremony was held in that part of the country.
“The ceremony was not designed specifically for Makeni because for the past years, we have been moving to Kenema, Bo and Freetown Dioceses to pray for mercy. Coincidently, Makeni Dioceses had got some disagreement over the appointment of Bishop Henry Aruna as the Spiritual head of the Makeni Dioceses.The ceremony brought us all together to pray and worship God,” he said.
He added that even though the Pope was not in a hurry to appoint another Bishop for Makeni, yet it was his responsibility to carry out that singular honour on behalf of the Catholic Church.
Over one thousand Catholic worshipers were in Makeni past Saturday for a special thanksgiving service and at the same prayed for mercy and spiritual intervention into the activities of the Church.
Bishop Aruna was appointed in 2013 by Pope Francis to head the Makeni Dioceses, but was controversially rejected by some members of the Church including Priests from the diocese, on the grounds that he is Mende from the eastern region who does not understand their culture.
Although he was ordained at a lavish ceremony at the St. Edwards Secondary School in Freetown, in January 2013, he was never allowed to take up residence in Makeni.
He was, however, re-appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Kenema. According to Catholic doctrine, the appointment of Bishops in the Catholic Church is a complicated process. Outgoing bishops, neighbouring bishops, the faithful, the apostolic nuncio, various members of the Roman Curia, and the pope all have a role in the selection. The exact process varies based on a number of factors, including whether the bishop is from the Latin Church or one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the geographic location of the diocese, what office the candidate is being chosen to fill, and whether the candidate has previously been ordained to the episcopate.
Initially, Bishops were chosen by the local clergy with approval from Rome as it is done today. The early church Fathers attest to the fact that the Church of Rome was the central and most authoritative church. They attest to the Church’s reliance on Rome for advice, for mediation of disputes, and for guidance on doctrinal issues. They note, as Ignatius of Antioch does, that Rome “holds the presidency” among the other churches, and that, as Irenaeus explains, “because of its superior origin, all the churches must agree” with Rome. They are also clear on the fact that it is communion with Rome and the bishop of Rome that causes one to be in communion with the Catholic Church.
This displays recognition that, as Cyprian of Carthage puts it, Rome is “the principal church, in which sacerdotal unity has its source.”
By the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, the metropolitan bishop had a role of the greatest importance in the selection. The Council decreed that the consent of the metropolitan bishop was normally required.
Later, state authorities demanded their consent for the election of bishops. In medieval times, rulers demanded not only their consent to an election made by others but the right to choose the bishops directly. The Investiture Controversy changed that to some extent, but many kings and other secular authorities continued largely to exercise a right of appointment or at least of veto until the second half of the nineteenth century. The Code of Canon Law of 1917 reaffirmed that in the Latin Rite, the decision rested with the Pope. Remaining privileges enjoyed by secular authorities have gradually diminished, especially since the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), which said that these should no longer be granted.
However in the situation of Bishop Henry Aruna, it was a different matter. The Makeni Dioceses openly challenged the decision of the Pope.
The Laity Council then met in Mile 91 and issued out a statement that they were not initially involved in the entire arrangement of the appointment of Bishop Aruna.
“It is but with a heavy heart that we consider this call and invitation as rather too late since we have not been involved in the process of the appointment of our Bishop-elect till this time. We are here to peacefully but vehemently register our protest again on behalf of the laity of the Diocese of Makeni we represent on the appointment of Rev. Fr. Henry Aruna as Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Makeni,” they had said in a statement.
“The process for the appointment of the Bishop-elect of our Diocese of Makeni left us with dismay as we compared it with what happens in other areas within the catholic church; hence we are not questioning the process of the appointment of the Bishop-elect, but we consider this appointment as being unfair to the Diocese because of the under mentioned.”
We want to dispel the myth that our actions were orchestrated by, “recalcitrant”, rebellious, priests of our diocese. Our actions in this matter were guided and will be guided by our consciences and, we hope, by the Holy Spirit. We are grateful to God for His timely intervention in revealing who would be the Bishop-elect of our Diocese before the official announcement was made. We refer you to our earlier correspondences with the Apostolic Nuncio and the Archbishop of Freetown,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Father Conteh explained that members of the Makeni Dioceses wrote an official letter to the Pope asking for forgiveness.