Thaddeus Ma Daqin
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Shanghai has a new bishop - Thaddeus Ma Daqin. He was ordained with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Saturday, reports Vatican Insider.
Showing courage and leadership, Bishop Ma told the congregation of more than 1200 people present at the ceremony– including government officials – that he would no longer hold any position in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).
At the time of his ordination he was vice-chairman of Shanghai CCPA and a member of the national CCPA’s standing committee.
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.
After today’s ordination, I will devote every effort to Episcopal ministry. It is inconvenient for me to serve the CCPA post anymore,” Bishop Ma told the congregation.
The more than 1000 Catholics present in the Cathedral broke into long and thunderous applause at his announcement, UCA News reported.
It was the first time in recent memory – and perhaps ever - that a bishop of the ‘open’ Church community had made such an audacious statement at his ordination.
FULL STORY Shanghai has a new bishop (Vatican Insider)