The prelate will lead the body promoted by Beijing to consecrate the autonomy of Chinese Catholicism. He is 57 years old and was ordained in 2007 with the consent of the Holy See. Bishop Ma Yinglin becomes “honorary president”. Bishop Shen Bin of Hainmen heads the Council of Bishops. The National Assembly reaffirmed the rhetoric of patriotism and sinicization and the need to “unite and guide the vast number of Catholics to adopt Xi Jinping Thought as their guide.”
Wuhan () – The Archbishop of Beijing, José Li Shan, has been elected president of the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics. Meanwhile, Bishop Shen Bin of Haimen (Jiangsu province) will direct the Council of Chinese Bishops, the collegiate body not recognized by the Holy See. They are the two main appointments that emerged from the 10th National Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representativesthe meeting of the organizations controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which concluded on Saturday, August 20, in Wuhan.
Monsignor Li Shan, the new president of the Patriotic Association (founded in 1957 with the intention of marking the autonomy of Chinese Catholicism with respect to Rome) is 57 years old and was consecrated bishop in September 2007 with the consent of the Holy See, according to the procedure already in place before the 2018 Agreement on the appointment of bishops. For his part, Bishop Shen Bin, 52, already held the position of vice president in the Chinese Council of Bishops. It was he who presented in the Assembly the report on the activity of the Church in China in the last six years – without making any reference to the Agreement with the Holy See – and delivered the closing speech.
On the other hand, the Bishop of Kunming, José Ma Yinglin, 57, assumes a more prominent role in the official organizational chart. He was long the best-known face of the Patriotic Association and is one of the bishops illicitly ordained and then readmitted to communion with Rome in 2018. However, like the outgoing president of the Patriotic Association, Bishop Fang Xingyao of Linyi (Shandong Province), has been assigned the position of “honorary president”. The appointments also include a new “Board of Auditors” to be chaired by Monsignor Zhan Silu, bishop of Xiapu (Fujiang province).
After the Assembly, in the official statement on the website of the Patriotic Association, it is reported that the delegates discussed “the great project of transmitting the pastoral spirit, honoring the Lord and benefiting the people.” In addition, they “examined the cause of patriotism and the bright prospects of deepening the sinicization of Catholicism in our country”, with the intention of “looking forward”, seeking “truth and pragmatism”. The usual nationalist rhetoric persists, however, and the need to “unite and guide the large number of Catholics to adopt Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” is expressly mentioned. that they “continue to hold high the flag of patriotism and love of religion, so that they adhere to the principles of independent self-management of the Church and democratic education, as well as the direction of the sinicization of Catholicism in the country , vigorously strengthening the construction of patriotic forces”. These words must be read in the light of the recent denunciations of the Hebei clergyregarding the unprecedented pressure to belong to the Patriotic Association.
Reference is also made to the directives of the Central Committee of the Party for the Catholic community in China, the same directives that in recent months have seen the entry into force of new regulations to “enhance ‘democratic’ control over religions”. Among them, one harsher repression against online activities, which are now completely prohibited – unless expressly authorized by the government.
Add Comment