The ordination of a Vatican-approved Chinese bishop has been
postponed because of government pressure, while a government-backed
illicit ordination of another man who lacks the Pope’s approval will go
ahead.
Coadjutor Bishop-elect Joseph Sun Jigen of Handan in the northern
Hebei province is presently being “looked after” by government officials
in the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang, church sources told UCA
News.
Public security officers took him and diocesan chancellor Fr. John
Huai Jianting as soon as he completed the pre-ordination retreat on June
26 in neighboring Henan province, three days ahead of his scheduled
ordination.
The two clergymen were forced into a police car. When nearing the
city of Handan, Fr. Huai protested and tried to jump out. The officers
then transferred him to another car and sent him back to the diocese.
The officers proceeded with the bishop-elect to Shijiazhuang.
Bishop Stephen Yang Xiangtai of Handan, 89, suffered a heart attack
upon hearing the news.
He is under treatment at the diocese-run Dazhong
Hospital.
Nuns from a diocesan congregation have begun fasting and are in a 24-hour Eucharistic adoration to pray for the diocese.
Bishop-elect Sun is said to be in good condition at a guesthouse, but government officials are monitoring him.
The diocese has resisted Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai of Chengde, who was
ordained without a papal mandate, being present at the ordination.
Priests from the diocese have also insisted on reading out the papal
mandate during Bishop-elect Sun’s ordination ceremony.
The government-backed Bishops’ Conference of the Church in China has not issued its approval so far.
Meanwhile, on June 29 a man will be ordained without papal approval for the Diocese of Leshan in southwestern China.
Bishop Johan Fang Xingyao of Linyi, president of the Chinese Catholic
Patriotic Association, will be the main celebrant in ordaining Fr. Paul
Lei Shiyin.
Bishops Peter Faing JianPing of Tangshan and Paul He Zeqing of Wanzhou will be co-consecrators.
One expert said that in a complicated Church reality where the truth
is often shrouded, the Vatican must keep pushing for the rights of
Christians.
John Pontifex of Aid to the Church in Need said in comments to CNA
that a June 23 report showing nearly half of Chinese Catholic dioceses
are without a bishop is a sign of the hard reality for Catholics there.
“Nobody quite knows fully what is going in China but we would presume
this report to be reasonably reliable and it shows, again, the extent
to which the state is controlling the Church in China.”
“It also underlines the need for us to remain very concerned about
the freedoms of the Church in China which should be allowed to govern
itself and put the necessary structures in place to freely proclaim the
Gospel,” he added.
The China Daily reported on June 23 that out of 97 dioceses, 44 are without bishops.
The news came as a conclusion of recent meetings of the Chinese
Patriotic Catholic Association and the Bishops Conference of the
Catholic Church of China.
According to the report, Chinese bishops said that a lack of bishops
has “seriously affected normal operations and church affairs at
bishopless diocese(s).”
While neither the bishops’ conference nor the patriotic association
is recognized by the Vatican, they are the only official voice allowed
for Catholics in China in a state-controlled reality.
Association spokesman Fr. Yang Yu said they are looking to take “active and prudent” steps to address the problem.
Pontifex underlined the difficulty in knowing what the true situation is for the estimated six million Catholics in China.
“The reason we don’t know the full truth of what’s going on in China,
especially as regards the Church, is that behind every apparent fact
and statement lies a more complicated reality,” he said.
“The Vatican needs to continue to press consistently and clearly for
rights and privileges to which the Church is entitled,” he said.
He pointed to problems that go well below the surface.
“If the official Church is being controlled in this way it begs the
question as to the problems being faced by the underground Church. One
can only presume that things for them are much worse.”