Country Advice China China – CHN37465 – Zheijang Province –
Cixi City – Catholic Church – Underground Catholics – Bishop of Ningbo 24 September 2010
1. Please provide information on the registered and unregistered Catholic Church in Cixi City, Zheijang and whether any Bishops have been recognised by both the Pope and the government in this area.
The Guide to the Catholic Church in China (2008)1 provides the following information on the Catholic community in Cixi City:
Cixi (60km north-west of Ningbo); 27 centres, 10,000 Catholics Xinpu Shuixiang St John Church Tel: 86-5476357 4326 Xushan Jianchangshan Cat. Church Tel: 86-547-6389 0642
The Guide does not specify whether this information relates to the registered or the unregistered Catholic Church in Cixi City. The information may relate to both the registered and the unregistered Church, as the communities do overlap in some parts of China.
The Catholic Church in Zhejiang Province is divided administratively into four dioceses: Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, and Taizhou. The Cixi City Catholic community is part of the Ningbo Diocese. The current Bishop of Ningbo is Hu Xiande.2 No information was found on whether Bishop Hu Xiande has been recognised by either the Pope or the government. Dual recognition has occurred previously in this area of China. The previous Bishop of Ningbo, Michael He Jinmin, who died in May 2004, was recognised by both the Pope and the government.3
1 Charbonnier, Fr. J. 2008, Guide to the Catholic Church in China, China Catholic Communication, Singapore, pp. 508-510 – Attachment 1. 2 Charbonnier, Fr. J. 2008, Guide to the Catholic Church in China, China Catholic Communication, Singapore, pp. 509 – Attachment 1. 3 „The obituary notice of the “official” bishop of Ningbo in China‟ 2004, 30giorni.it website, May http://www.30giorni.it/us/brevi.asp?id=140 - Accessed 24 September 2010 – Attachment 2.
Page 1 of 4 2. Please advise of the difficulties faced by those involved with the unregistered Catholic Church in Cixi City since 2008.
No information was found on the difficulties faced by those involved with the unregistered Catholic Church in Cixi City prior to or after 2008.
3. Please advise of any significant Catholic events that have occurred in this area or close by since 2008?
Two reports were found of significant incidents affecting the Catholic community in the area since 2008. No reports were, however, found of significant events organised by the Catholic community in the area since 2008. In May 2008, the Chinese government reportedly placed restrictions on the Catholic community in Ningbo city from undertaking an annual pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in nearby Shenshan town. On 4 October 2009, James Lin Xili, the Bishop of Wenzhou, died. Bishop James Lin Xili was not recognised by the Chinese government but was approved by the Vatican. Wenzhou is located in southern Zhejiang province, approximately 220 kilometres south of Ningbo.
In May 2008, the Chinese government reportedly placed restrictions on the Catholic community in Ningbo city from undertaking an annual pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in nearby Shenshan town. Shenshan is located in the neighbouring municipality of Shanghai and is approximately 100 kilometres north of Ningbo. The Asia News website, a Catholic online news agency, stated that “the authorities…asked the various dioceses, especially Shanghai, Wenzhou, Ningbo – the dioceses closest to the shrine – not to go on pilgrimage this month”. The Chinese government cited safety concerns for placing restrictions on the annual May pilgrimage to the shrine; while Catholic sources reported that the government‟s real intention was to block the annual meeting of underground and official Catholics.4 It is unknown whether Catholics undertook the pilgrimage to Shenshan, despite the government request not to visit the site. The location of Shanghai and Ningbo is illustrated in the map below.
On 4 October 2009, James Lin Xili, the Bishop of Wenzhou, died at the age of 91. The Wenzhou diocese is located in southern Zhejiang province, approximately 220 kilometres south of Ningbo. The location of Wenzhou is illustrated in the map below. Bishop James Lin Xili was not recognised by the Chinese government but was approved by the Vatican. The Union of Catholic Asian News website provided the following information on the Bishop and the events surrounding his death:
Government officials had feared social instability if the bishop died on or before Oct. 1, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People‟s Republic of China, and crowds of Catholics gathered, especially from the underground community.
Some living outside Zhejiang had indicated they would return home for the funeral if he died.
Bishop Lin‟s relatives and followers hoped to hold a funeral befitting a bishop‟s status, in the biggest church in Yueqing, but government officials opposed that, they said.
4 Cervellera, B., 2008, „Shanghai, government, PA: a war is on against pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Sheshan‟, Asia News, 5 May http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Shanghai,-government,-PA:-a-war-is-on-against- pilgrimages-to-the-Marian-shrine-of-Sheshan-12174.html - Accessed 23 September 2010 – Attachment 3.
Page 2 of 4 About 120,000 Catholics come from Wenzhou. They live and do business in various parts of China. Since Pope Benedict XVI issued his letter to Catholics in China in 2007, the 19 open clergy and 18 underground clergy of Wenzhou diocese have striven to reconcile and reach communion…
Bishop Lin had been under house arrest in Church premises in Wenzhou while in and out of hospital for treatment of Alzheimer‟s disease since 2000. He had been hospitalized as his condition worsened from 2005 onwards. Public security officers had imposed strict surveillance then “and even after he died,” Church sources said.5
Attachments
1. Charbonnier, Fr. J. 2008, Guide to the Catholic Church in China, China Catholic Communication, Singapore. (RRT Library Sydney)
5 Underground Bishop of Wenzhou dies on episcopal anniversary‟ 2009, Union of Catholic Asian News, 5 October http://www.ucanews.com/2009/10/05/underground-bishop-of-wenzhou-dies-on-episcopal-anniversary - Accessed 23 September 2010 – Attachment 4.
Page 3 of 4 2. „The obituary notice of the “official” bishop of Ningbo in China‟ 2004, 30giorni.it website, May http://www.30giorni.it/us/brevi.asp?id=140 – Accessed 24 September 2010.
3. Cervellera, B., 2008, „Shanghai, government, PA: a war is on against pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Sheshan‟, Asia News, 5 May http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Shanghai,- government,-PA:-a-war-is-on-against-pilgrimages-to-the-Marian-shrine-of-Sheshan- 12174.html – Accessed 23 September 2010.
4. Underground Bishop of Wenzhou dies on episcopal anniversary‟ 2009, Union of Catholic Asian News, 5 October http://www.ucanews.com/2009/10/05/underground-bishop-of- wenzhou-dies-on-episcopal-anniversary – Accessed 23 September 2010.
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