China: the government and Holy See ordain a bishop jointly for the first time
Shanghai (AsiaNews) - Mgr Giuseppe Xing Wenzhi, 42 years, was today
ordained
auxiliary bishop of Shanghai. The prelate said publicly that he
received the
nomination of the Holy See. In future, he will able to take the place
of Mgr
Aloysius Jin Luxian, who is now nearly 90 and very ill. Mgr Xing
studied in
the United States and until today, he was vicar-general of the diocese.
With this move, the Chinese government hopes to find a way of healing
the
rift between the underground - unofficial - Church and the official
Church,
which is recognised and registered by the government.
For the Chinese government, accepting a bishop recognised by the Holy
See,
means setting a single point of reference for the official and
underground
communities.
The acceptance of a bishop nominated by the Holy See is a gain even for
the
Vatican, because Beijing is acknowledging that links between the
Vatican and
a bishop do not signify unwarranted interference in China's internal
affairs
and do not threaten the security of the state.
The joint nomination is a victory for Catholic Chinese: in recent
years,
bishops nominated by the government but not by the Holy See have been
ever
more marginalised and even scorned by Christian communities, which
refuse to
participate in their ceremonies, even their funerals.
The problem of freedom of worship in China remains open for all the
Catholic
Church and especially for the diocese of Shanghai. It is not yet known
how
much freedom the government will be able to offer the new bishop: if he
will
have the freedom to lead pastoral and evangelisation activities; if the
seminary of Shanghai will be able to invited foreign professors and how
many; if the bishop will have the opportunity of a free relationship
with
the pontiff and the universal church; if the current underground bishop
of
Shanghai Mgr Joseph Fan Zhongliang, will also have full freedom to meet
his
faithful (for years, Mgr Fan's home has been under surveillance).
AsiaNews sources in Shanghai confirm that some of the faithful are very
happy about the nomination, which could finally repair ties between the
Church and the government. Others have voiced doubts about the
personality
of Mgr Xing, held to be too weak to resist government pressures and
controls.