China again defies Vatican with 2nd ordination; reconciliation imperiled

HONG KONG – The government-recognized "open" church will soon ordain another bishop without papal approval, and some underground Catholics expect reconciliation with the open church to become even harder to achieve.

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Father Joseph Liu Xinhong will be the second mainland bishop ordained without pontifical approbation on May 3, three days after Bishop Ma Yinglin of Kunming in Yunnan province, southwestern China, was ordained on April 30.

A Vatican source confirmed to UCA News on May 2 that neither of them has been given papal approval and both were told this before their ordinations.

Father Liu, 41, is to be ordained Bishop of Anhui at 8:30 a.m. on May 3 at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Wuhu, 990 kilometers (about 615 miles) south of Beijing.

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Father Joseph Nie Hengyou of Anhui, 43, told UCA News on May 2 that Bishop Wu Shizhen of Nanchang from neighboring Jiangxi province will preside at the ordination Mass. He added that Bishop Joseph Li Mingshu of Qingdao, Bishop Joseph Zhao Fengchang of Linqing and another bishop from Shandong will assist.

Father Nie said he is happy that a new bishop will take charge of the diocese in eastern China, and that he will attend Father Liu's ordination because "the situation of the church in China is special."

Sister Wu Aifang of Anhui expressed hope that the new bishop will be able to fulfill his episcopal duty and properly lead the diocese.

Most Catholics in Anhui belong to the underground church and refuse to join the open church. However, an "underground" lay leader in Anhui who asked not to be named told UCA News on May 2 that his community as well as "open church" Catholics will not accept a bishop without papal approval, and that such an ordination will harm church efforts in evangelization and reconciliation.

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The underground Catholics are mainly spread in the northern and northwestern part of Anhui province, according to the layman.

He also disclosed that public security officers have already tightened control on them and "warned Catholics not to create trouble." For this reason, he said, he and several other lay leaders have left home for a few days to avoid government control.

Another underground church leader told UCA News on May 2 that the upcoming ordination openly confronts the Holy See and damages the hierarchy of the universal church. This same Catholic said that in defying the order of the Holy See, Father Liu would not gain the support of local Catholics.

Anhui has been without a bishop since Bishop Joseph Zhu Huayu of Bengbu of the open Church died at 86 in February 2005. The open church combined the province's three dioceses – Anqing, Bengbu and Wuhu – to form Anhui Diocese on July 3, 2001, but the Holy See still regards them as separate dioceses.

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Currently, Anhui is estimated to have 56,000 Catholics, mainly peasants. Besides 43 diocesan nuns, the open church also has 19 priests – three of them older than 80, the others in their 30s and 40s. One young priest is studying aboard and 11 seminarians are studying in Shanghai.

Born in 1964, Father Liu graduated from Sheshan Regional Seminary in Shanghai and was ordained a priest of Bengbu Diocese in 1990. Ever since Bishop Zhu died, he has been serving as Anhui's diocesan administrator.

UCA News has been told that some bishops made plans to avoid the ordination after hearing that the Holy See does not approve Father Liu.

Posted: 9/4/06

Source: catholic.org

Return to: Religious News