Bishop Okpaleke's appointment had been met by protests and petitions calling for the appointment of a bishop from among the local clergy.

Loudly boasting or complaining about fasting during Lent and treating others unkindly is not what God wants, Pope Francis said.

He also said he doesn't read the blogs devoted to leading a 'resistance' against him.

Pope Francis “normally” meets with victims of abuse on Fridays, and “sometimes this is known and sometimes it is not known.”

“With God’s help, we can remain strong and resolute to resist evil in all its manifestations.”

Western journalists have been too easily swayed by misleading accounts circulated by those opposed to an entente.