Leo XIV Degrades African Bishop Who Defended Celibacy
Pope Leo XIV today appointed Bishop Gaspard Béby Gnéba, 63, of Man as an Auxiliary Bishop of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Monsignor Béby had been Bishop of Man since 2008.
The Diocese of Man has 29 parishes and 71 priests. Abidjan has 72 parishes and 585 priests. The Archdiocese of Abidjan is the metropolitan see of Côte d’Ivoire. The move from diocesan bishop to auxiliary bishop is a demotion.
Bishop Reaffirms Celibacy
In 2024 and 2025, significant tensions arose in the Diocese of Man between Bishop Gnéba and some of his clergy.
In early 2024, Monsignor Béby Gnéba issued a pastoral directive urging the faithful to report to him any priest who was not faithful to his vow of celibacy, who had a wife or children, who committed sexual abuse, or who engaged in financial misconduct.
Appalled by the number of priests living with concubines - often with children they had fathered - and supporting these families with Church funds, the bishop demanded that such priests resign from ministry. He …More
"To the unmarried and to widows, I say that it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do. However, if they are unable to exercise self-control, they should marry, for it is better to be married than to burn with passion." [1 Corinthians 7:8]
Doesn't this mean that sexually active Catholic priests should be laicized?!
No fan of Leo here, but was this bishop's defense of celibacy the reason he has been demoted? Sounds very possible, but who knows? And priests living with concubines and children -- describes most of the German Church before the Reformation.
Prevost is spreading Bergoglio cancer all over the Churchwhile good bishops would do anything to avoid amputation. Hence the poison spreads uncontrollably
"Some clergy objected to the bishop and described his leadership style as authoritarian." It is unfortunate that these priests do understand that Christ's words, "What you bind on Earth is bound in Heaven," specifically gives authority to the Apostles and their successors, the bishops. A priest is not a successor of the Apostles. Priests are the assistants to the successors and live under the authority of their local ordinary.
2 Timothy 3, 12
"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived".
Leadership style has nothing to do with priestly vows. It has been said that apostate Pope Bergoglio had an authoritarian leadership style.