HONG KONG (UCAN): Beijing might be preparing to create a new bishop to oversee a diocese not yet recognised by the Vatican, according to several priests in northern China.
If true, the move would undermine the landmark deal struck last year between the Holy See and Beijing that supposedly gives the Vatican a say in the appointment of bishops in China.
The priests’ fears were raised following a recent Catholic Church congress in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, during which new committee members were elected to the local Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the advisory board of Diocese of Zhangjiakou.
The diocese was set up by Beijing in 1980 and has not been endorsed by the Vatican, which instead recognises the dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi which cover the same territory.
Several priests at the December 4 congress, which had 92 participants, said the CCPA advisory board was established to “lay the foundation for the self-election and self-ordination of bishops,” in the diocese and undermine the promotion of unity between the official and unofficial Church communities as advocated by Pope Francis.
Father Wang Zhengui, who is rector of the Diocese of Zhangjiakou, was elected as the new director of the CCPA body while Father Zhang Li who was once with Vatican the recognised Diocese of Xuanhua was made the first vice director.
The sources say that the government wants Father Wang to become the bishop of Zhangjiakou.
Father Zhang is a well-known critic of Coadjutor Bishop Augustine Cui Tai of the unofficial Church.
In March, Bishop Cui suspended Father Zhang from his ministry allegedly steering members of the unofficial Church over to the Beijing-sanctioned community in what was seen as a defection to the government side.
Father Zhang, with the backing of authorities, responded by allegedly having police arrest Bishop Cui for refusing to join the official community.
The current whereabouts of the bishop, who has been detained by authorities on several occasions, remains unknown.
“The government arranged this congress with the aim of completely incorporating the unofficial communites of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi into the (unrecognised) Diocese of Zhangjiakou, then selecting a bishop whom it recognises,” an unofficial Church source who identified himself as Father Paul, said.
Zhangjiakou was previously led by self-nominated and self-ordained bishops until 1992, but the post has remained vacant since then and now Beijing wants to fill it without the Vatican having a say, contrary to the deal struck last year, Father Paul said.
“This … won’t promote the unity advocated by the pope but force the Church to bow to Beijing through a kind of administrative violence instead. It also violates the constitution that provides for the right to religious belief,” he said.
According to one Church member, the way Beijing sees it, why should the Vatican have a say in the appointment of a bishop in a jurisdiction it does not recognise? Another way of looking at it could be the Beijing is trying to strongarm the Vatican into recognising Zhangjiakou as a diocese.
Another clue to Beijing’s intentions lies with other members of the CCPA committee and the diocesan advisory board Church sources said.
Apart from priests of the official community in Zhangjiakou, priests of the unofficial community sit on the board too, however some were once forced to take part in a government “ideological conversion class,” which makes their true loyalties suspect, the Church sources said.
According to another church source called Father John, who attended the congress, Beijing simply does not want to compromise with the Vatican
“They (the government) never wanted to give up the self-election and self-ordination of bishops in the first place,” he said.
“This congress emphasised the existence of the Diocese of Zhangjiakou with the establishment of the Zhangjiakou diocesan advisory board. The self-election and self-ordination of a bishop is the next step,” he said.
