The participation of two bishops not in good standing with the Holy See in the ordination of the new bishop of Hunan raises questions as to whether Beijing really wants harmonious relations with the Vatican.
After waiting for twelve years, the diocese of Hunan in southern China has a new bishop: Methodius Qu Ailin. He was ordained on the morning of April 25 with the approval of both Pope Benedict XVI and the Chinese Government.
While mainland Catholics rejoiced at this ordination approved by Rome, the participation of two bishops not in good standing with the Holy See – one of whom is “illegitimate” – prevented it being a truly harmonious occasion, caused confusion among the faithful in China and inflicted further damage on the unity of the Catholic Church in the mainland.
This ongoing insistence by Beijing in having bishops not in good standing with Rome participate in Episcopal ordination ceremonies, raises the fundamental question as to whether the Chinese authorities are sincerely interested in developing a harmonious relationship with the Holy See, as they profess, or whether their real aim is to continue building a national Church independent of Rome.
Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing presided at the ordination ceremony in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Changsa City, the capital of Hunan province. Some two hundred faithful and many priests attended, together with government officials from the Patriotic Association, the United Front, and the Bureau of Religious Affairs.
Five other bishops joined Li Shan in concelebrating mass and laying hands on the head of the candidate for ordination: JB Tan Yanquan of Nanning, Paul Liang Jiansen of Jiangmen, Joseph Liu Xinhong of Anhui, John Lu Peisen of Yangzhou, and JB Li Suguang of Nanchang.
Bishop Li Shan, who was ordained bishop with the pope’s approval in 2007, is Vice-President of the Chinese Bishops’ Conference, a body established by the Government but not recognized by the Holy See.
He broke Church law by participating in the ordination of two bishops without the pope’s approval at Chengde (November 2010) and Leshan (June 2011), and has yet to formally request and receive the pope’s pardon for so damaging the Church unity.
While many recognize that Li Shan’s situation is particularly difficult as bishop of Beijing, the seat of China’s government, where he has limited freedom of action and speech, the same can hardly be said for another bishop who participated in the Hunan ceremony – Joseph Liu Xinhong. He was ordained for the diocese of Anhui (May 2006) without the pope’s approval and so incurred automatic excommunication, and while the Holy See never formally declared him excommunicated, it considers him an “illegitimate” bishop. As such, he was strictly forbidden by Canon Law from participating in the ordination ceremony. By defying that law, he has aggravated his own position before Church law and in the eyes of the Holy See.
Interviewed by UCA News on this matter, Bishop Qu declared that he did not know Bishop Liu or his status with the Vatican. As for Bishop Li Shan, he said, “I know he is a legitimate bishop, but I am not sure which Episcopal ordinations he has taken part in before.”
Born in 1961, Bishop Qu was ordained priest for Hengyang diocese in 1995 after studying at Beijing diocesan seminary. Appointed vicar general of Hunan diocese in 1999, he has been a key figure there since Bishop Simon Qu Tianxi of Changsa died in the year 2000. He was elected as candidate to be bishop, December 2011, obtaining 54 out of the 55 votes cast.
He takes over a diocese which originally consisted of four dioceses and five ecclesiastical territories in Hunan province, but in 1999 the Chinese authorities merged them all into one without consulting the Holy See.
For this reason, the Vatican does not currently recognize Hunan diocese and regards Bishop Qu as bishop of Changsha and apostolic administrator of all the other ecclesiastical territories in the province.
As bishop he will have responsibility for an estimated 65,000 Catholics and 25 diocesan priests in Hunan province. Commenting on this big challenge, he told UCA News that since there are too few priests for this vast province, and because they are separated from each other and there has been a lack of leadership in past years, he now plans to visit all his priests “to understand their situation and listen to their opinions before starting my work.”
His remarks confirm the widespread opinion that Bishop Qu is indeed “an honest and good man”, as one bishop said at the ordination ceremony.