Pope Francis confirms Beijing’s nomination of new bishop of Shanghai without his approval

Pope Francis at the Vatican, May 31, 2023. Pope Francis at the Vatican May 31, 2023. GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/ Portal

The Vatican announced Saturday, July 15, that Pope Francis had endorsed Beijing’s appointment of the new bishop of Shanghai, the country’s largest Catholic diocese. “The Holy Father has appointed His Eminence Mgr. Giuseppe Shen Bin as Bishop of Shanghai in mainland China and transferred him from the neighboring Diocese of Haimen,” the Vatican said in a statement.

In October 2022, the Vatican and the communist regime in Beijing extended by two years their historic agreement signed in 2018 on the sensitive issue of bishop appointments in China, amid tensions over the situation of Catholics in the country.

But in late November, the Vatican had expressed its “surprise” and “regret” at the appointment of a bishop in a Chinese diocese unrecognized by the Holy See, saying it had breached the 2018 agreement extending it for the year was for the first time in 2020. Then Beijing decided to call Bishop Shen Bin to Shanghai, still without consultation.

The Vatican-China deal, the content of which has not been made public, aims to bring together Chinese Catholics divided between the official and underground Churches, while giving the Pope the final say in appointing bishops.

Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers Pope Francis meets refugees in a Hungary where there are very few refugees

“Disagreements and Misunderstandings”

In a separate statement released on Saturday, Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s number two and head of diplomacy, justified the pope’s decision with his desire not to further poison relations with Beijing. “These two transfers were decided without the involvement of the Holy See. “This approach does not seem to fit the spirit of dialogue and cooperation that has been established between the Vatican and China,” he said.

Nevertheless, “the Pope decided to regulate the canonical anomaly that arose in Shanghai for the good of the diocese and for the better exercise of the bishop’s pastoral ministry.” This will allow Bishop Shen Bin to work in the greatest serenity,” he added.

The Vatican, Mr. Parolin stressed, now wants the two parties “to work together to prevent disagreements that lead to disagreements and misunderstandings” and to respect “the fundamental principle of consensus in decisions affecting bishops.”

Since the Vatican-China agreement was signed in 2022, the text has drawn criticism within the church. Some see Beijing’s stranglehold on the country’s approximately 10 million Catholics, where churches have been destroyed and religious kindergartens closed. Restrictions on religious freedom continue to be criticized.

Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers In Hungary, Pope Francis denounces that “doors remain closed to foreigners, different people, migrants and the poor”

21 new cardinals at the end of September

In addition, on Sunday, July 9, Pope Francis announced that he would appoint 21 new cardinals at the end of September, notably from Latin America, Africa and Asia, to strengthen “the universality of the Church”. The cardinals, who wear the red cassock, are the Pope’s most important advisers and administrators. Those of them who are under 80, which is the case for 18 of the next 21 new cardinals, take part in the vote on the Pope’s appointment.

Online courses, evening courses, workshops: develop your skills

Discover

“Her origin expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim God’s merciful love for all peoples of the earth,” Francis said after his weekly Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace in St. Peter’s Square. They will be created at a consistory (an assembly of cardinals) in late September, the ninth for cardinal creation under Francis, who at 86 is in the tenth year of his papacy and hopes to leave a lasting mark on the Vatican. .

His decisions are being closely watched as they provide an indication of the future direction of the Catholic Church and its priorities for its reported 1.3 billion followers. Ever since his appointment as Pope, as part of his overall philosophy of diversity and inclusion, Francis has sought to promote clergy from developing countries and countries far from Rome to the highest echelons of the Church.

The list of future new cardinals announced by Francis on Sunday also includes clergy from regions where the Church is expanding, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia. On the African side it includes the Archbishops of Juba (South Sudan), Cape Town (South Africa) and Tabora (Tanzania). At the last consistory in August 2022, Francis enthroned 20 new cardinals. He personally selected about 90 of the 132 cardinals eligible to elect a new pope, about two-thirds of all cardinals.

Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers Pope Francis puts the periphery at the center of the Church

The world with AFP