Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen (pictured here) has called on Pope Benedict to excommunicate China’s state-appointed bishops after a recent spate of ordinations not authorised by the Holy See. The cardinal said it is time for the Vatican to take an uncompromising stance. 'I think people in the underground Church and also in the good part of the official Church don’t expect the Holy See to ratify this ordination easily, and they don’t expect the Holy See to absolve these bishops from sanctions,' he said. In canon law, those ordaining and being ordained without Church approval are subject to excommunication.
His comments follow the unapproved ordination of Wang Renlei, which went ahead despite a warning from the Vatican that such a move would be in breach of canon law. ‘I think people in the underground Church and also in the good part of the official Church don't expect the Holy See to ratify this ordination easily, and they don't expect the Holy See to absolve these bishops from sanctions,’ he said.
Zen noted that the Vatican had acted quickly to excommunicate Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, the former archbishop of Lusaka, who married and then conducted four ordinations of rebel bishops.
Until recently, the Chinese government followed a compromise whereby the official Church would only elevate bishops after Rome indicated the candidate had the Vatican’s approval. According to Cardinal Zen, however, this compromise had run its course.
The excommunication of bishops would mark a major break between the Vatican and the Chinese Church, which is regarded as estranged from but still 'in communion' with the mainstream. The Cardinal said Beijing had been using the ordinations as a show of force. He also alleged that authorities forced two bishops loyal to Rome to take part in the service to lend it credibility.
Shanghai-born Cardinal Zen said it was now time for the Vatican to offer clear leadership to the underground Church, which had suffered for its 'heroic resistance' to the state.
Meanwhile, Chinese government television extolled the growth of the Catholic Church in China. According to a CCTV program this week, more young Chinese people are joining the church.
'There are more than five million Catholics in China now. That’s twice the number it was 50 years ago,' the CCTV report says.
According to AsiaNews, the programme showed a special baptism ceremony for 165 people at Beijing's oldest church, Nan Tang Cathedral (the South Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception). There are 5 million Catholics in China's government-sponsored official Church, and at least as many more in the Vatican-approved underground Church.
The report quotes Sr Theresa Ying Mulan, superior of St Joseph Convent of Beijing Diocese, as saying 'now is the prime time for pastoral spread in China. Explicit support from the government and regulations written into the Constitution are part of the country’s efforts to protect religious practice,' she said.