Mgr Wei Jingyi, underground
bishop of the diocese of Qiqihar (Northeast China), today expressed his
support for the statement against the Eighth Assembly of the
representatives of Chinese Catholics published yesterday by the Vatican.
In a pastoral letter Msgr. Wei urged the faithful to pray more
for the Church in China which is going through “a particularly difficult
time", as expressed last December 1 by the Pope in his call for the
Chinese Church.
Besides the convocation of the assembly, Bishop Wei cited the
illicit ordination in Chengde held before the Christ the King feast day,
which gravely violated Church regulations and doctrine. The act of
ordaining illicitly “seriously wounded the Church and cast a wound in
the Body of Christ. We also have to admit the Chinese religious policy
is a serious setback,” he said.
The Bishop points out that in the face
of the convocation of the Dec 7-9 assembly, during which the leaders of
the two organizations were elected (the president of the council of
Chinese bishops and leader of the Patriotic Association), “we expressed
sympathy and concern” for those were coerced to take part in the illicit
ordination and the assembly.
In response to the Pope’s call to prayer for the Church in
China, Mgr. Wei called for his faithful to have adoration of Blessed
Sacrament, to recite the rosary and to ask to Mary, Help of Christians
and Our Lady of China, as well as to St Joseph to make intercessions for
the Church in China.
Meanwhile, a priest in mainland China told
AsiaNews today that the Holy See has shown some “gesture of firmness in
Church principles”, and that it will “restore confidence” in the
authority of the Holy See as faith is the heart of the Church.
Another priest also said the communiqué is “like a ray coming
out before Christmas”, a good time for the Church in mainland and the
government to reflect. Some of the faithful are concerned, however,
about the intervention of the authorities during the Christmas
celebrations and stressed that it would have been better if the message
were released after the holidays.
SIC: AN/INT'L