Auxiliary Bishop Wu Jianlin's restricted ordination in Shanghai

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.

Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Wu Jianlin took place this morning in Shanghai's Xujiahui Cathedral.

As AsiaNews reported a few days ago, he was selected by the clergy of Shanghai on 28 April, during the Sede Vacante following the death of Pope Francis.

The Vatican Press Office issued a statement today saying that Pope Leo XIV had approved his candidacy on 11 August “within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China”.

This is a major appointment, strongly backed by Bishop Shen Bin, the prelate Chinese authorities unilaterally transferred to Shanghai in April 2023, an action Pope Francis reaffirmed just three months later in the name of Church unity in China.

Bishop Shen Bin, who chairs the Council of Chinese Bishops (the collegial body not officially recognised by the Holy See), concelebrated the ordination ceremony with Bishop Yang Yongqiang of Hangzhou, Bishop Li Suguang of Nanchang, and Bishop Xu Honggen of Suzhou.

“Fr. Yang Yu read the ratification of the election by the Council of Chinese Bishops, and approximately 600 people, including priests, religious, nuns, and representatives of the diocese of Shanghai, attended the ceremony,” reads a brief statement by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) on its official website.

Nothing else is known: no mention of what Shen Bin or the new auxiliary bishop, Wu Jianlin, said during the service. For their part, local sources report that very tight controls were in place at the cathedral, with participants required to hand over their telephones.

What is certain is that Mgr Thaddeus Ma Daqin, the other auxiliary bishop, was not among the concelebrants. The prelate, now 57, announced his resignation from the CCPA on 7 July 2012 to focus on his pastoral ministry after his consecration was agreed to by the Holy See.

Since then, he has been held in solitary confinement at the Sheshan seminary, although he maintains a WeChat profile on which he occasionally posts spiritual reflections.

In 2013, Father Wu Jianlin, now 55, a native of the Chongming district, was appointed to the post of diocesan administrator following the death of Bishop Aloisius Jin Luxian.

Precisely because of this situation, heavily influenced by the will of the Chinese Communist Party, many Shanghai faithful are saddened by today's episcopal ordination.

It should be noted, however, that Bishop Ma Daqin – despite his condition, which certainly cannot be considered one of complete freedom – today posted a noteworthy message of unity to the Church of Shanghai and good wishes to his brother on his WeChat profile.

"I am pleased to learn," he writes, "that Bishop Shen Bin ordained Father Wu Jianlin as auxiliary bishop this morning. I firmly believe that, with this valuable aide, Bishop Shen will be able to lead the various works of the Catholic Church in Shanghai towards ever-greater development, for the even greater glory of the Lord. I am certain that the new bishop, with renewed spirit, will be able to serve us faithful with commitment and dedication."

Bishop Ma Daqin ends his message with two quotes that hark back to the centuries-old history of Catholicism in Shanghai.

“Father Wu Yushan (the first Chinese Jesuit priest ordained in 1688) once wrote in a poem: 'May he be a good shepherd in good health for many years, in the morning towards the southeast, in the evening towards the northwest.' This fully reflects the ideal of the good shepherd and the solicitude of faith.”

The bishop, unable to exercise his ministry since 2012, also cites Xu Guangqi, the mandarin friend of Matteo Ricci who, in 1608 ,became the first Catholic in Shanghai and is therefore considered the patriarch of the local Church.

"With purified hands," writes Bishop Ma Daqin, "I respectfully copy the first verses of Xu Guangqi's Hymn of the Offering of the Heart: 'May the grace of the Lord abound upon us and extend without end.’”

• china
• shanghai
• episcopal ordination
• auxiliary bishop
• ignatius wu jianlin
• ma daqin
• shen bin