Church in China

A local Catholic offers their thoughts about yesterday's ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Wu Jianlin. The unresolved situation of Bishop Ma Daqin, who is still barred from exercising his ministry, is a source of sorrow that encourages “those members of the clergy who seek only to please the government”.

As AsiaNews reported, the ceremony for the prelate chosen by Bishop Shen Bin during the Vatican's Sede Vacante took place this morning. Leo XIV approved the appointment in August in accordance with the Agreement. Although confined to the Sheshan Seminary since 2012, the other auxiliary bishop, Ma Daqin, sent a message of unity to the Church of Shanghai via social media, quoting the great ‘patriarch’ Xu Guangqi.

Scores of members have been arrested in at least six cities in what ChinaAid calls "the most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution” in the last 40 years against underground Evangelical communities. Rev Jin Mingri was also arrested. A former Tiananmen Square protester, he founded the Zion Church, reportedly numbering thousands of members. The accused were charged with illegal use of information networks just days after Xi Jinping stressed the need to “accelerate the sinicisation of religions”.

At the Urbaniana University, the academic year opened with the presentation of the proceedings of the conference marking the centennial of the Concilium Sinense of 1924. The first apostolic delegate to China, Card Celso Costantini, convened this historic event, which Pope Leo XIV described as a "milestone in the history of the Church in China”. For Card Parolin, “being good Catholics in no way contradicts loyalty to one's homeland”. The Council was a “moment of purification of missionary work and intention,” said Card Tagle.

The diocese has sent official notice for Fr Wu Jianlin’s ordination ceremony, calling on all priests and nuns to be present without exception. Ordinary Bishop Shen Bin reportedly supported the choice, stressing that Wu is a member of the Party Conference, and must be a bishop. In the case of the other auxiliary bishop, Mgr Ma Daqin, he has been unable to exercise his ministry since 2012 after he refused to be part of the Patriotic Association.

1 October marked the anniversary of the canonisation desired by John Paul II which gave rise to the most conflictual moment in relations between Beijing and the Holy See. In the context of today's dialogue with the Beijing authorities, marking the feast may be cause for embarassment for some but the Chinese Catholic community has the right to remember and honour its martyrs, just like other churches around the world.

In a speech at an ad hoc session of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo, the president called for ‘doctrines, rules, management systems, rituals and customs, norms of behaviour’ to embody ‘Chinese characteristics’ and adapt ‘to the needs of the times’. He recommended ‘strict enforcement’ of regulations and the strengthening of policy directives.

AsiaNews editorial director Fr. Gianni Criveller comments on the Pope's words on China in an interview released in recent days: "He guarantees the continuity of previous choices, aware that there is time between now and the new expiry of the Agreement in 2028. But he also says he is listening to the “underground” communities that (rightly or wrongly) feel they have been sacrificed. So that the government's narrative is not the only one in this complex and painful ecclesial affair."

Two ceremonies were held today in Hebei’s “new” diocese established by Leo XIV, in which the authorities officially recognised two underground bishops. For the Holy See, this is “an important step in the journey of communion”, but Beijing is falsely attributing statements to them that pander to the usual claims about patriotism and the independence of the Church in China, sowing discord among the faithful in the communities that the move is supposed to unite.

With the approval of Leo XIV, Wang Zhengui was ordained this morning bishop of Zhangjiakou, a "new" diocese that replaces the sees of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi. Of the two underground prelates, one becomes auxiliary bishop, while the other (repeatedly subjected to restrictive measures) will retire. Meanwhile, in the name of patriotism, the Diocese in Shanghai held a “group viewing” of Xi Jinping's parade.

After serving time in prison for refusing to join the Party, he served as coadjutor to Bishop Li in Luoyang before retiring to his village in 2011. Some local Catholics spoke to AsiaNews about him: “In China, following the right path by believing in God and maintaining a pure faith inevitably leads to persecution. But even if we suffer a little to bear witness to God, all this is still a blessing,” they remember him saying.

An international symposium in Hong Kong marks the centennial of the consecration of six Chinese bishops in Rome in 1926, a milestone in the inculturation of Chinese Catholicism and the subsequent experience of native cardinals.