Report: China bishop, named by Rome, held in his seminary

A Chinese priest who publicly quit the state-sanctioned Catholic Church and was made bishop with the pope's approval was taken away by officials last weekend and is being held in his seminary, a source said on Tuesday, in a move likely to further strain relations between Beijing and the Vatican.

The incident is the latest sticking point in a long-running dispute over the status of China's state-backed church, which rejects papal control. Beijing and the Vatican differ over who has the authority to appoint bishops.

Ma announced he was leaving the Communist Party-run Patriotic Catholic Association in Shanghai on Saturday, AsiaNews, a Catholic online news service reported on Monday.

Asked why the authorities are restricting Ma's movements, the source said: "It's very clear. From the words of what he (Ma) pronounced, certainly this is not according to the will of somebody."

The source said China often restricts the movements of Vatican-approved bishops.

The source said Ma, who is now in the Sheshan seminary in Shanghai, had failed to appear in church last Sunday to celebrate Mass. Calls to the seminary went unanswered.

Chinese Catholics number between 8-12 million, and are divided between a state-sanctioned church that has installed bishops without Vatican approval and an "underground" wing long wary of associating with the Communist Party-run church.

China and the Vatican broke off formal diplomatic relations shortly after the Chinese Communists took power in 1949. Pope Benedict has, however, encouraged the two sides of the divided Chinese church to reconcile, and engaged in a low-key dialogue with Beijing about political ties.

The Vatican has previously condemned what it called "external pressures and constrictions" on Catholics in China.

July 7: New Shanghai bishop to leave CPA posts
""Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin of Shanghai declared today that he would give up his post in the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) to focus on episcopal ministry.

“After today’s ordination, I would devote every effort to episcopal ministry. It is inconvenient for me to serve the CPA post anymore,” he told the congregation at his ordination ceremony in Shanghai todoay.

Bishop Ma is the first “open” bishop in recent years to announce publicly during an episcopal ordination his intention to give up his offices in the CPA – vice chair of the Shanghai CPA and member of the standing committee of the national CPA.

Pope Benedict XVI’s letter to the Church in China in 2007 stated that the aim of the CPA was incompatible with Catholic doctrine.

About 1,000 people in St. Ignatius’ Cathedral responded him with long and thunderous applause.

“He needs to have much courage to speak these words as there are many government officials present. These words are not spoken to Catholics but to the officials,” said one attendee of the ordination...""

and an "underground" wing long wary of associating with the Communist Party-run church.

The underground isn't a "wing", they are the Catholics in good standing. They are not "wary", but know that they simply are not allowed to embrace this puppet religion. The Patriotic Association recognizes no higher authority than the Communist government.

“The underground isn’t a “wing”, they are the Catholics in good standing. ..”

That’s right.

Let’s hope we don’t ever have to hide our true faith in this country, but it’s looking worse and worse for America.

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