Chinese bishop installed-- 10 years after episcopal ordination-- as government finally gives approval
July 10, 2015
A Chinese bishop was formally installed in his diocese on July 10, ten years after he was ordained with the approval of the Holy See, the AsiaNews service reports.
Bishop Joseph Martin Wu Qinjing, having finally been approved by the Chinese government and the government-backed Patriotic Association, was installed as Bishop of Zhouzhi, in Shaanxi province.
Bishop Wu was ordained quietly in 2005 because of opposition from government officials. When his episcopal ordination was revealed in 2007, he was placed under house arrest, and later allowed only restricted movement.
The bishop’s long-overdue installation illustrates the complex situation facing the Church in China, where the Patriotic Association insists on the right to approve episcopal appointments—a right the Holy See has refused to give. A growing number of Chinese bishops have managed eventually to gain approval from both the Vatican and the government.
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