Ordained bishop in 1982 and appointed in 2019, Melchior Shi Hongzhen, 96, was until recently considered “underground”: he had refused to join the official Church, supervised by the Communist Party.
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The last stop on the Pope’s long tour of Asia: Francis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday, September 11, for a two-day visit. However, in this Asian tour, there is one big absentee: China. Beijing does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican: The country’s Catholics are divided between the official Church, supervised by the Communist Party, and the underground Church, loyal to the Pope. But despite these tensions, we have been witnessing a rapprochement for some time, which was illustrated a few days ago with the official recognition of the “clandestine” bishop of Tianjin.
Aged 96, Melchior Shi Hongzhen, ordained bishop in 1982, was appointed bishop of Tianjin in 2019, a large port city 150 km from Beijing, and was considered “clandestine”, having refused to join the official Church.This measure is a positive fruit of the dialogue established in recent years between the Holy See and the Chinese government.“, the Vatican rejoiced in a statement.
And for the approximately 56,000 faithful of the diocese of Tianjin, spread across 21 parishes, it is ahe small revolution. After years of clandestinity, the community with its bishop is now recognized by the communist party. But at 96 years old, the prelate did not wish to join the official bishopric in the city center: he continues to celebrate mass in his small formerly clandestine church, on the edge of a highway.
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This recognition relieves some of the faithful: “This is a good thing. We were looking forward to this recognition. Before, our identity as Catholics was blurred.” confides a parishioner. For this young woman, recognition from the Chinese government is a necessary step : “The government cannot represent our beliefs, but we live in this country and we respect the laws. And it is better that Catholicism is recognized by the Chinese government so that it can develop healthily.” she smiled.
But joining the official Church does not please all the faithful. This woman, who remains anonymous, has difficulty accepting: “I am not happy. I feel uncomfortable because I consider myself a Christian who is part of the underground Church.“.
All the faithful have a common hope: that relations between China and the Vatican will improve to allow one day a visit by the Pope to Beijing.