Shanghai: consecration on 15 October of auxiliary bishop 'elected' during sede vacante in the Vatican
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.
Shanghai (AsiaNews) – The episcopal ordination of Fr Wu Jianlin, the priest elected as auxiliary bishop of Shanghai by the assembly of the clergy on 28 April, during the period of papal vacancy (sede vacante) in the Vatican, is scheduled for the morning of 15 October in Xujiahui Cathedral.
The official notification was sent today to the priests of the Diocese of Shanghai. However, as early as 7 October, the parish of Xujiahui Cathedral had issued a notice announcing religious events, with the church temporarily off-limits to visitors from Monday 13 October to Wednesday 15 October, including no parking in the church courtyard until noon 15 October.
Quickly people realised that the religious events to be held in the cathedral were linked to the episcopal ordination ceremony of Bishop Wu Jianlin.
This was also clear because the Diocese of Shanghai, without specifying the reason, notified all priests and nuns in the diocese that they had to be present for the liturgy on the morning of 15 October at the Church of St Ignatius in Xujiahui, with no leave of absence.
Fr Wu Jianlin was elected auxiliary bishop on 28 April of this year. It is known that, prior to the vote, Bishop Shen Bin had visited the various vicariates in person, organising meetings and private discussions to ensure Fr Wu's election.
Prior to this, religious affairs officials in each district had contacted the priests of the diocese to assess their voting intentions. As AsiaNews reported at the time, the election took place a week after the death of Pope Francis, during the period of the sede vacante in the Vatican.
Interestingly, some clergy and faithful who attended diocesan meetings told reporters that Bishop Shen Bin stated on at least two occasions that “All Catholics who participate in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CCPPC) are bishops; sooner or later we should also make Fr Wu Jianlin a bishop.”
After Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin was suspended in 2012 after he publicly gave up his membership in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), Fr Wu became the coordinator of the diocese's "Group of Five”. He was also elected a member of the Shanghai Municipal Political Consultative Conference in 2013, and became a member of the National Political Consultative Conference in 2018.
Many people in the local Catholic community have noted with concern that Jesuit leaders and young Catholics in the Diocese of Shanghai – who in the past had courageously supported communion with the universal Church, maintaining their faith and loyalty without fear of personal consequences – are becoming a thing of the past. Today, the Diocese of Shanghai increasingly seems like a stage for political shows.
Some facts are known. Pope Francis died in the morning of 21 April (Rome time), afternoon in China. Many lay Catholics, priests, and nuns of the Diocese of Shanghai collected commemorative materials and organised mourning and commemorative events.
However, on the afternoon of the same day, the Diocese of Shanghai published the following notice: “Dear priests and nuns, Pope Francis returned to the Father's house this afternoon. Commemorative activities will be jointly organised by the Patriotic Association and the Chinese Bishops' Conference. Parishes must not organise private commemorations, nor publish or comment on online posts. If they have already been organised, they must be deleted immediately. During Mass, no longer mention 'our Pope,' but rather 'our bishop' directly in the Eucharistic Prayer.”
Just three days later, an article titled “Pope Francis has returned to the Father’s house” appeared on the diocese’s website, accompanied by the caption: “This article was taken entirely from the official website of the Patriotic Association and the Chinese Bishops’ Conference.”
Regarding the election of the new pope, which took place 15 days later, aside from a statement from the Xinhua news agency stating that the Chinese Catholic Church had sent a congratulatory message, the website of the Patriotic Association published nothing. Consequently, the website of the Diocese of Shanghai also reported no news.
Some interviewees angrily commented: "After the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, aren't the Chinese bishops in full communion with the universal Church? Why, then, was there this collective silence following the pope's death?" "Not only do they lack ecclesiality, but also humanity. They see only politics."
A scholar who asked to remain anonymous stated that, since the signing of the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops, many positive changes have occurred, with the Chinese bishops in full hierarchical communion with the pope.
Disappointments persist, however; for example, in episcopal elections, the Chinese side presents a single candidate to the Holy See. And when a bishop is transferred, the installation ceremony is often held in hotels or parish halls rather than in churches, with the participation of priests, nuns, members of the Patriotic Association, and government officials.
This type of ceremony seems to emphasise the bishop's political identity rather than his spiritual role. Furthermore, those present are prohibited from taking photos or sharing content, and each ceremony is subject to rigorous security measures.
The same scholar observed that “Having a bishop should be a cause for celebration for the Church. However, the current management style gives the impression of the exact opposite. Even the upcoming ordination of the auxiliary bishop of Shanghai is no exception.”
He criticised the fact that the liturgical content of these celebrations is kept secret and not made public, thus creating an internal division within the Church based on rank: only a few people know what is happening. This approach is no different from that of the secular bureaucracy and profoundly undermines the sacramental meaning of episcopal ordination.
According to some sources, the Holy See had previously maintained a firm position regarding Bishop Ma Daqin's situation, insisting on considering him the sole legitimate bishop of the Diocese of Shanghai, even though his governance was hindered. However, faced with government pressure and the forced appointment of Bishop Shen Bin to Shanghai, the Holy See gradually yielded.
Two years ago, some pro-government circles had even hoped that Shen Bin could resolve the situation by proposing Ma as auxiliary bishop. But this hope has been dashed once again.
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08/04/2023 15:15
02/09/2021 15:01
