Chinese bishop ordained with Vatican approval
March 30, 2011
A Chinese bishop has been ordained, with the full approval of the holy See, for the first time this year.
Bishop Paul Liang Jiansen was consecrated on March 30 to head the Jiangmen diocese. All of the bishops who participated in the ordination ceremony are in communion with the Holy See.
Relations between the Holy See and the Chinese government have been strained severely during the past year. In November 2010 the Beijing regime pushed forward with the illicit ordination of a bishop who did not have Vatican approval, and forced the participation of several other bishops in the ordination ceremony. In December the regime again compelled the participation of Catholic bishops in the election of new leaders for the Catholic Patriotic Association, a group that the Vatican has denounced.
Bishop Jiansen, however, has won approval of the government as well as the Holy See.
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Posted by: Lucius49 -
Mar. 30, 2011 5:50 PM ET USA
I would think the Holy See would pause before naming a bishop approved by the Chinese government given their creation of a Chinese Patriotic Church and the illicit ordinations which already took place. Never trust communists. The martyrs have come from the real Church the underground Church. This is not simply a matter of diplomacy but the independence of the Church. Caveat Roma.
