China Flexes Power over Rome Once Again with New Bishop Consecration

So much for the "deal" Francis signed with the ChiComs! Since it's still secret, we've no idea what it contains, but the assumption is that Bishops need Papal approval.

From One Peter Five

By Michael Haynes

It appears that once again, Beijing has delivered another blow to the Holy See by consecrating a bishop to the pivotal Diocese of Shanghai after he was elected during the papal sede vacante.

On October 15, Father Wu Jianlin will be consecrated as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Shanghai. News of the ceremony came via official notices issued by the schismatic state-approved church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).

Previously vicar general of the diocese, Wu was elected, effectively unopposed, in a vote on April 28. The next day another priest, Father Li Janlin, was similarly “elected” as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Xinxiang, reportedly being the sole candidate.

Since the signing of the controversial Sino-Vatican deal in 2018, China has appeared to hold the reins and the Holy See has repeatedly been left playing catch up. This instance, it appears, is no different.

Fr. Wu’s election to the episcopate came days after Pope Francis’ death, meaning that there was no capacity for the pope to give the necessary approval, which is believed to be part of the process of the still secret deal.

No bishops are to be appointed anywhere during the papal interregnum, yet Beijing forged ahead regardless.

Now, as documented by AsiaNews, an order has been issued to clergy and religious of the Diocese of Shanghai to be present at Xujiahui Cathedral on the morning of October 15, for the consecration of their new auxiliary.

No statement has yet emerged from the Holy See, though it is most likely that a brief announcement might come after the ceremony on October 15, in an attempt to save face.

Wu himself is a committed member of the of the state-approved church, and AsiaNews’ sources state that his “election” was due to the canvassing of the current Shanghai ordinary, Bishop Shen Bin.

The incoming auxiliary has long been a key figure in Shanghai’s state-church as part of Beijing’s process of gaining control in the region. When the Vatican-recognized auxiliary bishop of Shanghai – Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin – used his 2012 consecration Mass to formally part ways with the CCPS, he was placed under house arrest. Ma Daqin then ascended to lead the diocese in 2014, but still from behind his prison walls, meaning that Wu was given prominent leadership authority by the puppet masters in Beijing.

With Wu now joining Shen Bin in episcopal leadership of the diocese, it places Shanghai firmly under the control of the Chinese authorities. Shen himself is the president of the schismatic CCPA, and was given the see by Beijing in April 2023 – incidentally in a ceremony led by Wu himself and in a move that the Vatican was not informed of. In moving Shen to Shanghai at the time, the Chinese thus disregarded the fact that he was the Vatican-approved bishop of Haimen, as well as ignoring Bishop Ma’s rightful leadership of Shanghai.

Following great public embarrassment, the Vatican eventually capitulated some months later and acknowledged Shen as the new bishop of Shanghai, in a statement which made no reference to his prior appointment by the Chinese. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin subsequently described the unilateral move by Beijing as a violation of the “spirit of dialogue and collaboration” between China and the Holy See.

Shanghai’s Challenge to Leo

As anticipated, Shen has emerged as a leading figure in implementing Sinicization – the process that experts warn involves having “all religious communities be led by the Party, controlled by the Party, and support the Party,” and which thus ultimately leads to a rejection of Catholicism and an acceptance of Communist ideologies.

Critiquing such a turn of events, veteran Vaticanist Francis Rocca wrote at the time that “[b]y accepting the dominance of the official Church, whose bishops Shen Bin leads, Rome is in practice accepting the supremacy of politics over religion.”

Fr. Wu’s episcopal consecration thus again places Shanghai at the center of the debate between the Holy See and Beijing, and harkens back to the Catholic persecution in the diocese enacted by the Communist regime in the 1950’s.

Commenting on the import of the new bishop, veteran Italian journalist Riccardo Cascioli quipped that “it is easy to foresee that the future of China–Vatican relations, as well as that of the Church in China, will depend on how Pope Leo plans to resolve the ‘Shanghai case.’”

Just days ago, Cdl. Parolin praised the continued work of the highly controversial Sino-Vatican deal. Speaking at the sidelines of a China-related conference – at which, incidentally, Bishop Shen Bin spoke last year – Parolin stated:

The experimental agreement continues to move forward. We still see it as a positive thing, in the sense that it has allowed the Holy See and China to find some minimal agreement on the fundamental issue of bishop appointments.

Admitting “there are still difficulties,” Parolin urged “great patience and great trust.”

He also commented that “I imagine the Pope will continue on this path” of showing that people can “be good Catholics and good Chinese citizens.” Such a phrase is notable, as it indicates that Parolin appears to have no firm idea on what Leo XIV’s China policy will be.

Indeed, the Pope himself affirmed over the summer that he has no particular plan as yet, telling Crux that “in the short term, I will continue the policy that the Holy See has followed for some years now, and it’s been several predecessors. I in no way pretend to be wiser or more experienced than all those who have come before me.”

Since giving these interview comments, Leo then suppressed two Underground Chinese Catholic dioceses, in favor of a diocese designed by Beijing and which was long a source of contention, due to its existence being the Chinese attempt to take control.

While some China experts saw signs of hope for the Underground Church early in Leo’s pontificate, many observers will now sense that Beijing’s power is continuing to grow at the expense of the Holy See, just as it did under Pope Francis.

Pictured: The Cathedral of St Ignatius of Loyola, Shanghai, by Pyzhou - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10284791