Some parishes of the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara in Imo state may soon be shut down by Pope Francis.

The report states that the Pontiff intends to close 163 parishes because the Ahiara Diocese clerics and the laity council have stubbornly refused to accept the appointment of Peter Okpalaeke as bishop.Okpaleke was appointed and consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 as a replacement for the late Bishop Victor Chikwe.This has been confirmed by a source in the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, The Nation reports.According to the source, the Pope is also considering derobing some of the priests that are opposing Ikpaleke’s appointment.The source said, “What is happening in Ahiala is a great affront unheard of in the history of Catholicism in Nigeria and Africa. Never has the appointment of a Bishop been this hotly contested. It is a shame and very embarrassing to the CSN and the Pope.“If you consider how much patience the Pope has displayed, you will agree that it won’t be out of place for him to act now. Any moment from now, he may announce the parishes are no longer under the Vatican. In that instance, they can get somewhere else to go.“The Pope is the final authority of the church and nothing will make him back to primordial ethnic sentiments.”The disagreement between the Pope and these priests has been going on for some time.Reportedly, the issue has caused the Ahiara Cathedral and the Bishop’s Court to be under lock and key. It also prevented the administration of the Holy Communion.Bishop Okpaleke was rejected because he is not from Mbaise town. Based on this, these priests have demanded for a bishop that is from their local government.Pope Francis had initially responded by holding a meeting with a delegation from the Ahiara Diocese on Thursday, June 8, 2017.During the meeting, the Pontiff called for a truce and directed them to accept Okpaleke as their bishop.The Associated Press reported that Pope Francis gave an ultimatum saying, ‘ you will lose your job if you don't obey me and your bishop.’play Pope Francis is not happy with the Catholic priests in Imo (AFP)ALSO READ: Pope Francis doesn't want anyone to disturb himReacting to the ultimatum, the President of the Diocesan Laity Council, Gerald Anyanwu, maintained that the people of Mbaise were not opposing the Pope.While arguing his case, he said that they were not okay with the fact that Okpaleke was not a priest “incardinated in the Ahiara Presbyterian."He added that “There was no time we insisted that the bishop of the diocese must be a Mbaise son, but the prelate must be a priest incardinated in the diocese. We shall accept any bishop whether a Hausa man or a Yoruba man as far as he is incardinated in Ahiara Diocese.”Meanwhile, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has reacted to the issue.