Posted on 11/26/2022 9:34:15 AM PST by nickcarraway
The Vatican said on Saturday that Chinese authorities had violated the terms stipulated in its provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.
A statement released on Nov. 26 said that “the Holy See noted with surprise and regret” that Bishop John Peng Weizhao had been installed as an “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi,” a diocese that is not recognized by the Vatican.
Peng’s installation ceremony in Nanchang, China “did not occur in accordance with the spirit of dialogue … and what was stipulated in the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops, on September 22, 2018,” it said.
The Vatican statement also noted reports that “prolonged and heavy pressure from local authorities” preceded the installation.
“The Holy See hopes that similar episodes will not be repeated, remains awaiting appropriate communications on the matter from the authorities, and reaffirms its full readiness to continue the respectful dialogue concerning all matters of common interest,” it said.
The boundaries of the “Diocese of Jiangxi” were drawn by Chinese authorities without Vatican approval.
Peng, on the other hand, was legitimately appointed by Pope Francis in 2014 and secretly ordained as an underground bishop of Yujiang — something for which he was arrested by Chinese authorities and held in custody for six months, according to Asia News.
The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association publicized on its official website that Peng’s installation ceremony occurred on Nov. 24 with “the consent of the Jiangxi Provincial Catholic Educational Affairs Committee and the approval of the Chinese Catholic bishops’ conference.”
The government-approved Catholic association said Peng swore an oath at the installation ceremony to “guide Catholicism to adapt to socialist society” and contribute to the “dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
Bishop John Baptist Suguang Li of Nanching presided over the installation ceremony with about 200 people in attendance. Li serves as the vice president of the Chinese bishops’ conference, a group that has not received public recognition from the Holy See.
The installation ceremony took place one month after the Vatican renewed its deal with Beijing on the appointment of Catholic bishops for an additional two years.
The provisional agreement between the Holy See and China was first signed in September 2018 and renewed for another two years in October 2020. The terms of the deal have not been made public.
Former bishop of Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, a vehement critic of the agreement, was convicted by a Hong Kong court and fined HK$4,000 the day following the installation. The Vatican has yet to make a statement on Zen’s conviction. Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.
The unauthorized installation appeared to be one of the most serious violations of a 2018 agreement between the Vatican and Beijing on the appointment of bishops.
This is not the most serious violation. They are killing and imprisoning nuns, jailing bishops who they don't consider loyal, and all kinds of terrible things.
Ping
MC Carrick mess to be cleaned up. He NEVER should have been able to lead in this agreement. B16 had relieved him of his duties.
"The Frog and the Scorpion"
"Silly woman, You knew I was a Snake when you took me in"
We were in Hong Kong when this crap went down, and they closed a place that held Mass .....it was CLOSED, and it had been opened the day before!!
I do not think that Francis is stupid.
The Vatican’s mistake was thinking that China would honor any agreement they made. They literally made a deal with the devil, and thought he’d keep it?
The CCP is full of godless commies. Lying is what they do.
Red Pope Ping
Did they lie in this instance?
Did they really think that?
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