Loyal Chinese Catholics oppose plans to ordain new bishop in defiance of Rome
June 13, 2012
Loyal Catholics in Harbin, China, are engaged in a campaign of prayer and fasting in a last-minute bid to stop the illicit ordination of a new bishop without approval from the Vatican.
Catholics in Harbin insist that “no one wants this ordination,” the AsiaNews service reports. But the Catholic Patriotic Association is pressing forward with plans to installed Father Joseph Yue Fusheng as bishop on June 29. The Vatican has warned that bishops who are ordained without a mandate from the Holy See can incur the penalty of excommunication—as can the bishops who ordain them and others who participate in the ceremony.
Father Yue is one of three vice-presidents of the Patriotic Association. The other two have already been ordained as bishops, in each case without Vatican approval. Last year Chinese officials had announced plans for the episcopal ordination of Father Yue, but were forced to postpone the ceremony indefinitely because of opposition from loyal Catholics—and, reportedly, from Father Yue himself.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
