The honorary chairman of the
Patriotic Association, Anthony Liu Bainian has demanded that the Vatican
“not interfere with the self-election and self-ordination” of bishops,
[ie without papal mandate-ed] and recognize and support the elected
bishops in their work of evangelization. "
Liu Bainian, nicknamed "the
Pope of China" as a result of his claiming to lead the entire Chinese
Church, said there are still at least 10 candidates for the episcopate
who will soon be elected according to the method of " self-election and
self-ordination”, a method he says is "wanted by the Church in China."
Liu Bainian’s declarations were published by Wen Wei Po, a Hong Kong newspaper close to the Chinese Communist Party May 14 last.
Experts consider the strong worded statement a challenge and a
threat against the Vatican of imminent Episcopal ordinations without
papal mandate, after the last one that occurred in November in Chengde.
Liu Bainian's words have rung true for some time now. Just days
before, on May 11, with the a bishop was elected in Shantou by priests,
nuns and lay people, under threats and pressures against the will of
the Holy See.
The Electoral Committee consisting of 15 priests, five nuns, 50
seminarians and two lay people voted by a large majority, for the only
candidate, Fr Joseph Huang Bingzhang.
This "self election" has severe
flaws:
1) First it took place by compulsion. Priests and lay people
have confessed to have been taken from their homes and "accompanied" by
police. Moreover, many PA members and police were present
in the election hall and controlled the voting. Many said they were
subjected to strong pressure to vote for only candidate, others said
they were forced to vote "against their conscience" for fear of
retaliation, and threats to their relatives. Nevertheless, in the vote,
there were three votes against and three abstentions. But the only
candidate received 66 votes soon. Out of five priests who were unwilling
to participate in the election manipulation, three are under police
surveillance, one is missing (maybe he has gone into hiding), one was
arrested.
2) The candidate, Fr Huang, has been eager to become a bishop
for a long time and the Vatican has never seen him as a worthy
candidate. Fr Huang is defined by his followers as "ambitious", and
“power-hungry" and as being too close to the Communist Party. Since 1998
he has been a member of the National People's Congress (China's
parliament), he has been president of the PA in Guangdong since last
December and is a vice president of the PA at the national level.
3) The Diocese of Shantou already has a bishop in the person of
Mgr. Zhuang Jianjian, secretly ordained with Holy See approval in 2006.
But the PA does not recognize him as a bishop and has always restrained
his pastoral work. Since last December he has been under police control
and during Holy Week celebrations this year was prevented from carrying
out his ministry.