Pop Francis accepts resignation of Archbishop Zeigler

Pop Benedict Francis has accepted the resignation of the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Monrovia, Lewis J. Zeigler, the Vatican reports. Archbishop Lewis Jerome Zeigler was born on January 4, 1944 in Harrisburg, Montserrado County, Liberia and was ordained in 1974 as a Priest before his subsequent appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Gbarnga, Bong County..

Pop Benedict Francis has accepted the resignation of the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Monrovia, Lewis J. Zeigler, the Vatican reports. According to report, Archbishop Zeigler retired on Monday, June 7, 2021 at age 77, having succeeded late Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis, who died in office. Archbishop Lewis Jerome Zeigler was born on January 4, 1944 in Harrisburg, Montserrado County, Liberia and was ordained in 1974 as a Priest before his subsequent appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Gbarnga, Bong County.

He was later named Coadjutor Archbishop of Monrovia in 2009 and subsequently took over the diocese in 2011 after the death of Archbishop Michael Francis In June 2018 he made his first “ad liminaapostolorum” visit to Pope Francis in Rome.

Earlier, in 2015 at the Chrism Mass Archbishop Zeigler called on priests to desist from activities that distract them from their ecclesial duties and noted that most priests seemed to chase wealth and material goods involved with the world rather than focusing their lives on the Church. “It is my appeal to all of you, my fellow priests, to serve and not to chase things of the world like iPhones, iPads and whatever”, he said.He also called on the faithful to pray for their pastors whenever they do wrong since it would “help to strengthen and put them on the right path.”

On the question of corruption in the Liberian society, the Archbishop described the practice as the major foe to nation building in Liberia, noting that corruption hinders national progress. “our society is sick” due to greed and selfishness which has swallowed the nation. He also called on Liberians to fight against corruption by focusing on defeating individual greed.

Meanwhile, serving at an official service at the Providence Baptist Church in Monrovia as a guest speaker on 11 April 2014, he railed against homosexuality and same-sex marriage, observing that the Liberian culture was being denigrated by calamity due to Liberians “ignoring their creator” and entering into “unwholesome activities that continue to annoy God”. Zeigler also said that such national crises such as the Ebola outbreak came about due to the dissolute ways Liberians lived that displeased God.