Government-sanctioned Church authorities in China have formally announced the revocation of Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin of Shanghai following a two-day standing committee meeting that concluded yesterday, reports Ucanews.
Joseph Liu Yuanlong, a vice-chair of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), confirmed that the Association and the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) have decided to revoke his approval letter as “coadjutor” bishop and dismiss him from all posts in both organisations.
They also called on Shanghai diocese to “deal with Ma in a serious manner,” he said.
Sources at the Beijing meeting told ucanews.com the 45-year-old prelate had violated the country’s regulations on religious affairs and BCCCC rules in relation to episcopal ordination.
Among the six “charges” laid against him, they accused Bishop Ma of deliberately preventing an illegitimate bishop and two other participating bishops from laying hands on his head and forbidding them from receiving Holy Communion, sources said.
“They also charged him with not publicly distinguishing whether he is coadjutor or auxiliary bishop, a title given by the Pope, and that the oath was incomplete as a result of deliberate damage to the sound system,” sources said.
FULL STORY Beijing confirms Bishop Ma revocation (ucanews)