Chinese Communist Regime Forcibly Proceeds with Another Illicit Ordination of a Bishop

Persecution of the Catholic Church in Mainland China Escalates

The effort is as old as communism itself. Seek to destroy the connection between the Catholic faithful and the successor of the Apostle Peter, the Pope. It has never worked in the past and it will not work now. 

P>VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - On Saturday July 16, 2011 the Holy See released this declaration concerning the episcopal ordination of Fr Joseph Huang Bingzhang. The illicit ordination took place on Thursday, July 14, 2011. It was done in direct contravention of the Holy See's requests, in violation of Canon Law, and under coercive compusion. It took place in the the diocese of Shantou (Province of Guangdong, Mainland China):

Vatican Declaration in the Illicit Ordination 

"1. Fr. Joseph Huang Bingzhang, having been ordained without papal mandate and hence illicitly, has incurred the sanctions laid down by canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law. Consequently, the Holy See does not recognize him as bishop of the diocese of Shantou, and he lacks authority to govern the Catholic community of the diocese.

"Fr. Huang Bingzhang had been informed some time ago that he could not be approved by the Holy See as an episcopal candidate, inasmuch as the diocese of Shantou already has a legitimate bishop; Fr. Huang had been asked on numerous occasions not to accept episcopal ordination.

  "2. From various sources the Holy See had knowledge of the fact that some bishops, contacted by the civil authorities, had expressed their unwillingness to take part in an illicit ordination and also offered various forms of resistance, yet were reportedly obliged to take part in the ordination.

"With regard to this resistance, it should be noted that it is meritorious before God and calls for appreciation on the part of the whole Church. Equal appreciation is also due to those priests, consecrated persons and members of the faithful who have defended their pastors, accompanying them by their prayers at this difficult time and sharing in their deep suffering.

"3. The Holy See reaffirms the right of Chinese Catholics to be able to act freely, following their consciences and remaining faithful to the Successor of Peter and in communion with the universal Church.

"The Holy Father, having learned of these events, once again deplores the manner in which the Church in China is being treated and hopes that the present difficulties can be overcome as soon as possible".

The Code of Canon Law referenced, Section 1382, reads, "Both the Bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a Bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See."

We continue to follow the hostility being shown by the Communist Regime in mainland China against the legitimate leadership of the Catholic Church in China because it is a vitally important story not being covered by many other Press sources. Though there appeared to be a warming in relations for a while, reports out of China in 2010 confirmed that the situation for faithful Catholics grows more ominous daily.

In 2010 the Chinese Regime forcibly coerced Catholic Bishops faithful to the magisterium of the Catholic Church to attend an illegitimate gathering of the Regime-sponsored "Patriotic Association" (PA) and "Council of Bishops". They used violence against Catholic Bishops, priests and lay faithful.

Like many deceptive governments, the regime in mainland China presents a public face of tolerance but acts with impunity against Catholics, other Christians and other religious believers. They now use coercion and violence against Catholic Bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful.
 
In order to coerce his attendance at the illegitimate meeting Bishop Feng Xinmao was seized by 100 police officers and government agents. His priests and members of the lay faithful fought for hours to prevent his arrest. Eventually, the Bishop was arrested by Police and placed in isolation.

The Bishop was rescued by the faithful and returned to his home. However, the representatives of the Regime attempted to again seize the Bishop once again and the faithful fought for hours to prevent violence against him but were unsuccessful. The Bishop was then dragged to Beijing and forced to attend the illegitimate gathering.

This was only one example of the aggressive show of force against the Catholic Church. It came on the heels of the illegitimate ordination of Fr. Joseph Guo Jincai as a Bishop despite the clear objection by the Holy See on November 20, 2010. An official statement from the Vatican noted that the ordination occurred "without the apostolic mandate and, therefore, constitutes a painful wound upon ecclesial communion and a grave violation of Catholic discipline."

The statement continued, "This ordination not only does not contribute to the good of the Catholics of Chengde, but places them in a very delicate and difficult condition, also from the canonical point of view, and humiliates them, because the Chinese civil authorities wish to impose on them a pastor who is not in full communion, either with the Holy Father or with the other bishops throughout the world."

On Friday, December 17, 2010 the Holy See issued a strongly worded statement concerning the oppression of the Catholic Church by the regime in mainland China. They affirmed their continued willingness to engage in dialogue but condemned the 'grave violation' of the religious freedom of Catholics. They specifically decried the action of forcing priests and Bishops to attend the illegitimate gathering of what the statement rightly referred to as the "so called Bishops Conference and Catholic Patriotic Association". 

The Holy See condemned those actions in no uncertain terms. The statement called these State sponsored groups "incompatible" with the Catholic faith. They reminded the faithful of the Pope's invitation to pray for their brethren being oppressed in mainland China.

Asia News recently published an interview with Italian Parliamentarian Alfredo Mantovano by Bernardo Cervellera. It addressed the illicit June 29, 2011 episcopal "ordination" of Fr Lei Shiyin which led to his excommunication. It was another heavy handed effort by the so-called "patriotic" church to reject the true authority of the Catholic Church.

Now, one more act of oppression and overt persecution of the Catholic Church by the regime which governs mainland China has occurred.The effort is as old as communism itself. Seek to destroy the connection between the Catholic faithful and the successor of the Apostle Peter, the Pope. It has never worked in the past and it will not work now.

We urge our readers around the globe to fervently pray for the persecuted Church in China. They are our brothers and sisters, joined in the bond of Baptismal and Eucharistic communion. We must raise  a loud cry be raised against the failure of Western governments to stand up against the egregious violation of a fundamental human right, the Right to Religious Freedom, in mainland China.

With the United State's growing economic dependence upon the Regime in China, are we sacrificing our fundamental obligation to defend human freedom and human rights because we depend on the economic assistance of a repressive regime?

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online