Posted on 03/27/2023 6:30:40 PM PDT by marshmallow
Chinese Bishop Han says following the state rules is important for the Church's mission and growth
A Chinese bishop, recognized by both state and the Vatican, says all Catholic clergy in China should register with the government to end the division among them as state-sanctioned and underground churches.
“What hurts and torments us the most are the situations of disunity and heartbreak between brothers,” said Bishop Joseph Han Zhi-hai of Lanzhou in the province of Gansu in north-central China.
Han made the remarks in a letter he sent to the Vatican Fides agency, on the 20th anniversary of his ordination as the bishop. Fides published the letter on March 20.
Han was ordained with a Vatican mandate in 2003, but in 2017, he sought and obtained recognition from the Chinese political apparatus.
The recognition came a year before the 2018 China-Vatican secretive deal was signed, reportedly agreeing on terms for both parties to jointly appoint bishops in the communist nation.
The 57-year-old Han regretted some bishops did not like being recognized by the state.
During his installation as state-approved bishop in 2017, an official “celebration was organized in the diocese. Some brothers did not accept it and there was still no path of reconciliation,” he recalled.
Catholics in Lanzhou Diocese faced state persecution for years before Bishop Han was ordained.
His predecessor, Bishop Philip Yang Libai, who was secretly ordained in 1981 and led the church until his death in 1998, was detained and abused for decades.
Yang, a key figure of the underground episcopal conference established in 1989, had been jailed for more than 30 years in his almost 50 years of priestly life.
(Excerpt) Read more at ucanews.com ...
How much more difficult can the Chinese-Communist-Adoring Vatican make life for authentically believing Chinese Catholics?
I’ll bet he does. Just like the fake Bishop of Rome.
Since he is bought and paid by the CCP and anointed by the bishop of Rome…like most Chinese businesses, I Assume 51% of his allegiance is is for the best interest of the state.
Leftists here wet themselves.
Just a posted notice to remind us all.
Dear FRiends, our 1st qtr FReepathon is running behind. It looks like we’re not going to hit our target, but with your help, maybe we can at least get it over 90%. 3/25/2023, 11:36:11 AM · by Jim Robinson
Or the CCP will Falun Gong their ass.
“Currently there are more than ✝️68 million Christians✝️ in China, mostly Protestants. Experts estimate that China could become the biggest Christian country in the world over the next few years.”
Interesting how the Christian church grows through heavy persecution.
https://www.equaltimes.org/china-s-underground-churches
Why many Christians in China have turned to underground churches
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35900242
“... today, according to some estimates, there are more Christians in China than Communist Party members. Up to 100 million will be celebrating across China this Easter weekend.”
This article is from 2016, 7 YEARS ago!
The Bishop of Rome wants the same.
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