Sunday, July 15, 2012

China cracks down on Shanghai's courageous new bishop

The Chinese authorities have retaliated against and punished the courageous new bishop of Shanghai, Thaddeus Ma Daqin, hours after he declared publicly, during the July 7 ordination ceremony, that he would no longer hold any position in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).

The CCPA was created by the Beijing Government in the late 1950s to control the Catholic Church in the mainland, but Benedict XVI stated clearly in his 2007 letter to Catholics in China that this association is “incompatible” with Catholic doctrine.

At the time of his ordination, Ma was vice-Chairman of the Shanghai CCPA and a member of the national standing committee of the CCPA. At the ordination ceremony, however, he did what no other ‘open’ Church community bishop ever did before in China, he told the congregation:  “After today’s ordination, I will devote every effort to Episcopal ministry. It is inconvenient for me to serve the CCPA post anymore.”   

While the 1000 or more Catholics present at the ceremony in St Ignatius Cathedral on July 7 broke into long and thunderous applause at his announcement, the government officials present were most unhappy, several sources told UCA News.

From the government officials’ point of view, Ma was setting a dangerous precedent by distancing himself from the CCPA, a precedent others might follow, and one which could effectively undermine the association’s role and authority over the Catholic Church in the mainland.  This was something they could not tolerate.

These officials left the ceremony “looked very serious”, UCA News and other sources reported.  Then, breaking with tradition, they abandoned the official banquet for the new bishop, leaving the three tables that had been assigned to them empty.  It was a powerful sign of their total displeasure and a warning that retaliation was on the horizon. 

It arrived some hours later that same afternoon when several unidentified men came and took Bishop Ma away to an unknown destination, UCA News and other agencies reported. Asianews said the unidentified men were “religious officials.” 

That Saturday evening, the Hong Kong media reported that Bishop Ma was “missing”.

Next day however - Sunday July 8 - the bishop re-appeared in the seminary at Sheshan, on the outskirts of Shanghai, where he was said to be “resting”.  The seminary is next to the famous Marian Shrine, but the priests there were reluctant to take any telephone calls that were not local ones, while – a source said - policemen are stationed at the seminary, though the latter news could not be confirmed at the time of writing.

“He has freedom of movement there but Chinese authorities have restricted him from exercising his Episcopal ministry”, UCA News reported.  It is not clear however what kind of “freedom of movement” he actually has, or what are the restrictions placed on his ministry and for how long these will remain in force.

Bishop Ma was scheduled to celebrate the Eucharist in the Cathedral on Sunday morning, July 8, but the Chinese authorities prevented from doing this.  His absence caused considerable grief at the Sunday Mass. Father Joseph Gu Zhangjun presided at the Mass in his place but he was “visibly upset”, a source told UCA News.  So too were the hundreds of Catholics who packed the Cathedral to attend his first Mass as bishop.

On Sunday evening, the priests and nuns of the Shanghai diocese received a text message said to be from Bishop Ma in which he told them that he felt “mentally and physically exhausted” after his ordination, UCA News reported. 

“I need a break and have made a personal retreat. With the consent of Bishop Jin [Luxian], I am at the side of Our Lady of Sheshan,” the message said.
A Shanghai priest told the news agency that Bishop Ma is now having a rough time. “It is painful, but it is good for the conscience of the Church in China. His witness is an encouragement for our Catholics, so we can only pray for him”, he said.

Anthony Lam Sui-ki, senior researcher at Hong Kong diocese’s Holy Spirit Study Centre (the leading information centre on the Church in China which is headed by Cardinal John Tong Hon), told UCA News that the ordination of a bishop is usually a joyous occasion in the Church, but the Chinese government had on this occasions openly assaulted the Church with “fierce and barbarous” acts.  He condemned the Government’s interference in Bishop Ma’s civil rights to participate in religious activities.

As we go on line, very many Catholics across mainland China are praying for Bishop Ma today, July 10, the feast of the Chinese martyrs.  His courageous testimony has touched the hearts of Catholics across this land; they see in him a new sign of hope for the Church in China.