Chinese Bishops Ordained Illicitly

by Jael SC · November 11, 2016

A statement made by the Vatican on Monday declared that unverified reports of bishop ordinations taking place within the so-called “underground Church” in China had neither the authorisation of the Holy See, nor had they been officially communicated.

Catholic Church in the diocese of Dali, Yunnan Province in China. There are an estimated 300 million Christians in China. (Photo: Fr Chris Zugger’s blog – special thanks)

“The Holy See has not authorised any ordination, nor has it been officially informed of such events. Should such episcopal ordinations have occurred, they would constitute a grave violation of canonical norms,” the communique read.

Signed by Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, the statement referred to recent unsubstantiated reports that, without authorisation from the Pope, the ordination of some bishops took place recently in the so-called “underground Church” in Continental China.

As the statement read: “In recent weeks, there has been a series of reports regarding some episcopal ordinations conferred without Papal Mandate of priests of the unofficial community of the Catholic Church in Continental China.”

“The Holy See hopes that such reports are baseless,” it continued. “If not, it will have to await reliable information and sure documentation before adequately evaluating the cases.”

“However, it is reiterated that it is not licit to proceed with any episcopal ordination without the necessary Papal Mandate, even by appealing to particular personal beliefs.”

The announcement was made amid recent reports of a possible agreement between the Holy See and China concerning the appointment of Chinese bishops.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, told nuncios gathered in Rome that the talks with China deal with the appointment of bishops, and do not deal with any possibility of establishing diplomatic ties.

The agreement, if it takes place, will likely be based on Cardinal Parolin’s model implemented in Vietnam back in 1996: the Holy See proposes a set of three bishops to the Hanoi government, and Hanoi makes its choice.

Problems with this model do exist, however, including that the Vietnam administration often delays its approval, leaving dioceses vacant for years. Then, when they make the choice, they usually prefer a pro-government candidate.

China-Vatican relations have been cool, with some apparent thaws. Benedict XVI wrote a letter to Catholics in China in 2007, after which followed a series of bishops’ appointments approved both by the Chinese government and the Holy See.

The Church in China is in a difficult situation. The government of the Chinese People’s Republic never recognised the Holy See’s authority to appoint bishops. Instead, it established the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a sort of ecclesiastical hierarchy officially recognised by the Chinese authorities.

For this reason, Chinese bishops recognised by the Holy See entered a clandestine state, thus giving life to the so called “underground Church” that is not recognised by the government.—CNA