Jan. 05, 2000
BEIJING (FIDES/CWNews.com) -- The government-approved Patriotic Catholic Association in China will ordain 5 new bishops-- rather than 3, as originally announced-- on January 6, according to information received by the FIDES news agency. The ordinations have not been authorized by the Vatican.
On January 4, Anthony Liu Bainian, the secretary general of the Catholic Patriotic Association, had announced that 3 priests would be ordained as bishops in Nantang, the Church of the South, in Beijing. But just one day later, the Patriotic Church indicated that 5 episcopal ordinations would take place.
The sudden shift in plans was seen by FIDES sources as evidence that the Beijing government is putting pressure on the Patriotic Church.
The Chinese government had originally planned a "mass ordination" of 12 new bishops for the Patriotic Church, to take place on January 6. That plan was a direct slap at Pope John Paul II ([bio](http://www.cwnews.com/news/biosgloss/definition.cfm?bioID=8) - [news](http://www.cwnews.com/search/processor.cfm?searchfrombio=8)), who will ordain 12 new bishops himself on the same day in St. Peter's Basilica.
However, because the ordination was clearly seen as an affront to Rome, 9 of the government's original candidates for episcopal office refused to be ordained. One said he "had problems;" another entered a plea of illness. It is not clear whether the government subsequently convinced 2 of those men to accept episcopal ordination, or whether 2 new nominees were added to the list.
After the original announcement that 5 bishops would be ordained, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls sharply criticized Beijing, saying that the decision to proceed with the unauthorized ordinations would increase the distance between the Chinese political leadership and the authentic Catholic Church. He mentioned that the move was particularly unfortunate because it came at a time when various reports have raised the prospect of new moves toward the normalization of relations between Beijing and the Holy See.
In recent months, Chinese Catholics have struggled to rebuild their relationship with Rome and the universal Church. A letter addressed to the Chinese faithful by Pope John Paul II, in preparation for the Holy Year, was very well received in China; Fides sources said that Catholics were "moved by the affection of the Pope." Several bishops of the Patriotic Church had even set forth plans for the celebration of the Jubilee-- in a clear response to the Pope's requests, and in apparent defiance of the government's demand that Chinese Catholics should not recognize papal authority.
One group of priests of the Patriotic Church criticized the announcement of new episcopal ordinations, saying that the move would **"put the Chinese Church in a dangerous position of schism."** .... see the whole story at the site.
Currently the missal I use is the Maryknoll Missal published in 1959. I haven’t been confused yet. (Anymore than I usually am, that is.)
