Bishop Matthias Du Jiang of Bameng in Inner Mongolia was openly installed on April 8, almost six years after his clandestine consecration in 2004. The ceremony at the Sanshenggong Church meant the government now officially recognizes the Vatican-approved prelate as the head of the government-approved Church community of Bameng – or the Bayan Nur League – in the western part of Inner Mongolia, UCA News reports.
Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin of Kunming, vice-chairperson of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) who arrived from Beijing, concelebrated the installation Mass.
The 90-minute ceremony was joined by 300 Catholics and 20 priests from local and neighboring dioceses.
Among them was Father Paul Meng Qinglu of Hohhot who will be ordained on April 18 with papal mandate and approval from the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China.
Church sources told UCA News the atmosphere has been tense in recent days as there were many government officials and public security officers around. The Internet and phone systems were also under surveillance.
Bishop Du was born on Nov. 20, 1963 and ordained a priest in 1989. He has been the parish priest of Sanshenggong Church since 1997 and was appointed the vicar general of the diocese three years later.
He was secretly consecrated on May 7 2004 just before the funeral of his predecessor Bishop Francis Xavier Guo Zhengji who died on May 3.
The government did not recognize Bishop Du’s episcopal status as it did not go through the process of “self-election and self-ordination.”
Bishop Du has until now not been allowed to perform episcopal ministry but he could wear a red hat and crucifix in solemn Masses and Church activities without any intervention, sources said.
“I think the bishop’s working in a low profile way despite encountering many difficulties has finally gained the recognition that he deserves,” one of the sources said, adding that all the bishop’s priests are united with him.
There are about 40,000 Catholics in the open Church community of Bameng, where in the same region there is also an underground community led by 92-year-old Bishop Joseph Ma Zhongmu, an ethnic Mongolian.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to the CW Team or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that the CW Team agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
CW Team
SIC: CTHAS