Just when you think there may be a brief respite - like a couple of days, maybe? - from Bergoglian 'shockers', comes this news from China which is appalling at first glance, and more so, when one thinks of its obvious implication: that this is among the compromises this pontificate is ready to make - and has made - with the godless regime in Beijing, just to achieve that 'breakthrough' in Vatican-China relations that could possibly earn Bergoglio the distinction of becoming the first pope ever to visit China.
The Vatican asks legitimate Chinese bishops
to step aside in favour of illegitimate ones
by John Baptist Lin
In short:
Last December, Mgr Peter Zhuang Jianjian of Shantou (Guangdong) was forced to go to Beijing where 'a foreign prelate' from the Vatican asked him to retire now and give up his See to illicit bishop Joseph Huang Bingzhang. He had received the same request last October.
Mgr Joseph Guo Xijin, ordinary bishop of Mindong, is expected to give up his See to illicit Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, and become his auxiliary bishop instead.
All part of Beijing's program to 'Sinicize' the Church in China, i.e., support that it is independent of the Vatican and must follow
the leadership of the Communist Party.
Guangzhou, January 22, 2018 (AsiaNews) – The Holy See has asked Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian of Shantou in southern Guangdong province to retire in order to give way to an excommunicated bishop, while another Vatican-appointed bishop was asked to downgrade himself to become assistant to an illicit bishop who is taking his place.
This is the second time in three months that the Holy See made the resignation demand on Bishop Zhuang, who was secretly ordained in 2006 with Vatican approval. However, he is only recognized as a priest by the Chinese government, which on the other hand is in full support of the excommunicated Bishop Huang Bingzhang, a long-time member of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament.
A Vtican letter dated 26 October 2017 demanded that Bishop Zhuang, 88, resign to give way to the excommunicated bishop, whom the Holy See is going to recognize. “Bishop Zhuang at that time refused to obey and rather ‘carry His Cross’ for being disobedient”, a church source in Guangdong who asked not to be named told Asia News.
In the latest incident, Bishop Zhuang was escorted to Beijing on December 18 from his southern diocese to meet some senior officials from the central government and a delegation from the Vatican, according to the church source.
Before the 4-day trip, the officials had begun to monitor Bishop Zhuang starting Dec. 11. Even knowing the bishop was not in good health and the weather was freezing in Beijing, they rejected his demand not to travel north, but did send a doctor along, as well as seven local government officials, but no priest, the source said.
Lodged at the Huguosi Hotel in Beijing, Bishop Zhuang was taken 'sightseeing' on December 19 and then to the headquarters of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the bishops’ conference the next day, where he met with Bishops Ma Yinglin, Shen Bin and Guo Jincai, the president, vice president and secretary general of the bishops’ conference respectively, the source continued.
The CCPA and bishops’ conference, as well as Ma and Guo, two illicit bishops, are not yet recognized by the Holy See.
On December 21, Bishop Zhuang was taken to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. He was first greeted by three officials from the State Administration for Religious Affairs. Then he was led by Fr Huang Baoguo, a Chinese priest who served at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, to meet with a foreign bishop and three foreign priests from the Vatican.
Since China and the Vatican resumed official contact in 2014, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, a veteran in China Church affairs, is known to be responsible for the negotiations and has been in China several times for this purpose. It is believed the prelate whom Bishop Zhuang met is Archbishop Celli.
The foreign bishop explained the aim of their travel to China was to do something in order to reach understanding with the Chinese government, and in this case, the 'something' was to let Bishop Huang to become the bishop of Zhuang's diocese.
He reiterated the demand made in the Oct. 26 letter but added an additional term as a 'consolation' to Zhuang - before retiring, he could nominate three priests for his successor to select from as his vicar general.
“Bishop Zhuang could not help his tears on hearing the demand,” the source said. "Because it is meaningless to appoint a vicar general whom the new bishop can remove anytime".
Some bishops in southern China oppose the idea of hastily recognizing Bishop Huang, who was officially excommunicated by the Holy See in 2011 when he accepted illicit episcopal ordination without papal mandate. One of the bishops who asked not to be named told AsiaNews that the Vatican has asked for their opinions. “I do not know the outcome, but this is a bad solution,” he said.
AsiaNews also asked the Vatican for confirmation of the situation in Shantou. A representative familiar with the China dossier said that the letter the bishop received was just a request for opinion on the illicit bishop Mgr Huang. Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, confirmed the information obtained by AsiaNews.
While Bishop Zhuang was summoned to freezing Beijing, the Vatican delegation reportedly went southward to eastern Fujian province to meet with Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, one of seven illicit bishops awaiting recognition by the Vatican.
Local sources said Bishop Joseph Guo Xijin, the ordinary bishop of Mindong,and who belongs to the 'underground Church', has been asked to downgrade himself to the level of assistant to Bishop Zhan, as h has to do this in order to be named a coadjutor bishop.
One of the sources said that signing a document agreeing to a 'voluntary' downgrade in rank was previously demanded by government officials from Bishop Guo when he was under one-month detention before the Holy Week in 2017.
Bishop Zhan declined to confirm the meeting or disclose details about the progress of his 'recognition' by the Vatican. He only told AsiaNews that Vatican and Chinese officials have been meeting regularly on the 'negotiations'.
An underground priest in Mindong said he did not know about the Vatican delegation’s visit. “We of course feel that the new situation is difficult to accept, but do we have the right to oppose the Vatican?”, adding that if things goes the way they seem to be going, “I may consider quitting and leaving the priesthood.”
Though downgrading the status of a bishop seems extraordinary or unbelievable in the universal Church, it is not surprising in China. Last October, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s work report for the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party called for
“new approaches” adopted for works related to ethnic and religious affairs.
An earlier article in
Qiushi, a top-level journal on Communist theory run by the Party’s Central Committee, published on 15 September also carried the title “Theory and Innovative Practice on Religious Work since the 18th National Congress of the CPC” in 2012.
Though without clear elaboration on what will be the innovations to be applied to the Catholic Church, the CCPA and the bishops’ conference last December 14, 2017, passed a five-year plan to “sinicize” the Catholic Church in China.
“Sinicization of religion” is a term first mentioned by Xi Jinping in the Central United Front Work Meeting in 2015. It means demanding all religions now practising in China to uphold their independence [from any foreign or international organization, such as the Holy See is for the Catholic Church] and follow the leadership of the Community Party.
For the Holy See to recognize seven illicit bishops (originally eight but one died in 2017), among whom Bishop Huang and two others were publicly excommunicated by the Holy See, is among the issues to be resolved in ongoing China-Vatican negotiations. In exchange, China would have to recognize about 20 bishop-candidates appointed by the Holy See to the 'open' Church and close to 40 bishops in the underground Church.
[And how does that square with the regime's Sinicization policy? 'Independence' from the direction or control of any organization or institution outside China would mean the Vatican would have to butt out completely from the Church in China, which would be left at the complete mercy of the regime through the CPCA. Unless Bergoglio and his diplomats have so charmed the Chinese that the latter are willing to make an exception for the Vatican! Is that realistic at all?]
The other obvious question is: If Archbishop Celli's delegation was in China recently to persuade Bishops Zhuang and Guo to give way to two illicit bishops, does that not mean that the Vatican has agreed, at least in theory, to the Chinese demand?]
According to an article by Cardinal John Tong in 2017, the core problem to be resolved in these negotiations is the appointment of bishops.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 22/01/2018 23:07]