Underground Catholics, including three
priests, attended the ordination Mass for the new coadjutor bishop of
Nanchang (Jiangxi), Jiangxi Province, last October 31.
This was
confirmed to AsiaNews, by the bishop himself, Mgr. John Baptist Li Suguang, after the ceremony which was held in the cathedral.
Bishop Li is the ninth bishop to be ordained in China in 2010.
Approved by the Holy See and recognized by the Chinese government,
Bishop Li, says he wants to work hard for reconciliation between the
Catholic communities (official and underground) currently living in the
diocese.
The prelate also stressed that his ordination was also known to
the underground bishop of Yujiang, the 90 year-old Mgr. Thomas Zeng
Jingmu.
In any case, evangelization in parishes and formation work will top his agenda for developing the diocese with about 70 thousand Catholics,.
Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing officiated the ordination, and
bishop Zhao Fengchang of Liaocheng (Shandong) and bishop Shen Bin of
Haimen (Jiangsu) were co-ordainers.
Also present was the Ordinary
of the diocese, Bishop Wu Shizhen, who is very ill.
All four bishops
are approved by the Holy See.
Bishop Li was born in 1964 in a Catholic family in Changzi, in
Shanxi. After finishing high school in 1987, he entered the diocesan
seminary: Then he studied at Beijing Diocesan Seminary.
He was ordained a priest in August 1992 and sent to Shuozhou for
three years, and after, to the diocese of Jiangxi. He was appointed
vicar general in 1999, and elected bishop coadjutor in July 2009.
At the ceremony were the uncle and relatives of the new bishop, from
Shanxi.
According to the new bishop, "The ceremony was very touching, I
was especially touched to see this cooperation and unity among the
priests and the faithful in preparations."
There were a thousand
Catholics and the Mass was concelebrated by 80 priests.
SIC: AN/INT'L