Chinese Church Resists Abusive Regime, Opposes 'Patriotic' Association's Illicit Ordinations

Lay Catholics and their priests stopped the kidnapping of Bishop Pei who had been designated to preside over another illicit ordination. The declaration of the Holy See decrying the ordination was issued and greeted by applause. For months Harbin priests have resisted the illicit ordination of bishops and now members of the underground Church are asking the Vatican to proceed with the ordination of bishops for their communities.

P>BEIJING, China (AsiaNews) - The standoff between the Vatican and Beijing over the illicit Episcopal ordinations continues. There are increasing signs of "resistance" to the Patriotic Association (PA) and the Government emerging. The Regimes attempts to determine the life of the Church even in the more religious and sacramental elements is meeting with resistence from the faithful. .

The Holy See expressed its appreciation for this "resistance" in the statement published on July 16 last following the ordination - without the mandate of the Pope - of Fr Joseph Huang Bingzhang as bishop of Shantou, Guangdong.

Bishop Paul Pei Junmin of Liaoning had been pegged as the chief concelebrant for the ordination. But his priests and faithful staged a sit-in of perpetual prayer and study in the cathedral for days, until the ordination had taken place to prevent their pastor being "kidnapped" and forced to take part in the celebration.

Another bishop managed to hide before being detained and dragged to the ordination.

The four bishops of Guangdong were not so lucky, they were "kidnapped" by government officials and the police a few days before the ordination of Shantou. Until yesterday they were not free to return to their dioceses. But yesterday in Guangdong churches, the priests released the Holy See declaration on the excommunication of Fr Huang and urged Catholics to remain faithful to the pope. People welcomed the homilies with loud applause.

Another heroic resistance is underway in Harbin. Here, according to reports, in the coming months the illicit ordination of Fr Joseph Yue Fu Sheng is due to take place. In anticipation of his ordination, the PA had already elected him national vice-president of the PA in December last year.

But this ordination has been continuously postponed due to the resistance of the priests of the Diocese of Harbin who do not want a bishop appointed in opposition to the pope. According to AsiaNews sources, "the candidate, Fr. Yue, is ready and eager, but his priests threaten to desert him".

Members of the underground Catholic Church were "saddened" about what is happening in the official Church, especially the illicit ordinations and suggest the Vatican proceed in appointing bishops to underground communities. For several years, the Vatican, hoping for an agreement with the Chinese government, has blocked all ordinations of underground bishops.