Priest from northern China becomes first Catholic bishop ordained with blessing of Vatican and Beijing
- Antonio Yao Shun becomes bishop of Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia under deal agreed in September
- Vatican continues efforts to restore relations with China despite repression of faith on mainland
.png?itok=arIb17P0)
A Chinese Catholic bishop has been ordained with the approval of the Pope and Beijing for the first time under an agreement aimed at encouraging rapprochement between China and the Vatican.
China’s roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the Communist Party, and an underground church loyal to the Vatican.
Under the terms of the deal agreed in September, both authorities now have a say in the appointment of bishops.
China’s official church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said Yao Shun was ordained as bishop of the diocese of Ulanqab in northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Monday.
The law in China requires priests and bishops to register and align with the country’s official church.
But the Vatican said the bishop, who it named as Antonio Yao Shun, had also “received the papal mandate” at the ordination, according to a statement by Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See’s press office.
It said the ordination was the “first to take place in the framework of the provisional agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China”, which severed diplomatic relations in 1951.
The Catholic Church in China: a complex history of controversies, conflicts and unwavering conviction
The state-run Global Times said on Wednesday that China faced a shortage of bishops. About a third of China’s 98 dioceses were without a bishop and many older bishops were close to retirement, it said.
State media reports said another Chinese bishop was to be ordained on Wednesday, although the official church did not confirm this.
Pope Francis recognised seven clergy appointed by China, despite fears the accord would be used by Beijing to increase pressure on worshippers outside the official church.
Although ties have improved as China’s Catholic population grows and the Vatican steps up efforts to restore relations, tensions remain.
The Vatican is the only European diplomatic ally of self-ruled Taiwan, which is viewed by Beijing as a breakaway province awaiting reunification, by force is necessary.
In June, the Vatican called on Beijing not to persecute Catholics who chose to worship at underground churches.
In recent years there has been a clampdown on religious worship in mainland China on many fronts, with churches destroyed in some regions and restrictions on the sale of Bibles.
– – – –
