A group of Chinese Catholics have defended the ordination of three bishops and an assistant bishop as in line with Catholic traditions and says the Vatican was informed in advance.

 

Liu Bainian, vice-president of the China Patriotic Catholic Association, said the ordinations were in strict compliance with democratic election rules set by the Chinese Catholic Church and Catholic traditions and had wide support among clergy and congregations.

 

Since last April, the Chinese Catholic Church has ordained the bishops of Suzhou, Kunming, Anhui and Liaoning after informing the Vatican via private or personal channels in advance, said Liu.

 

But Pope Benedict XVI said the consecrations had challenged his authority and threatened Bishops Ma Yinglin, from Kunming, and Liu Xinhong, from Anhui, and those who took part in their ordinations with excommunication.

 

"The bishops were elected by priests and followers according to democratic election rules after strict qualification appraisals," said Liu.

 

Statistics from the Kunming diocese reveal that Ma, 41, won all the ballots from clergy and congregation at his election in January.

 

"It's the first time in China that a bishop has been unanimously elected, and I am really pleased about that," said Liu.

 

Under Chinese Catholic Church rules, nominees must be pious, knowledgeable in religious practice, law-abiding and patriotic, and have more than five years of missionary experience.

 

On the eve of the Kunming election, Jin Peixian, a bishop from northeast China's Liaoning province to preside over the voting, addressed the electors at a special meeting, requiring them to attach proper importance to the election.

 

"You should bear in your mind the spirit of accountability to Christ and vote according to your mind and conscience and for the benefit of the church," he said.

 

Only church member eligible to vote attended the events. "There were no visitors, no non-voting delegates, and no government officials," said Liu.

 

"So I would think that the election fully reflected the will of the priests and believers of the diocese," he acknowledged. "As a Catholic saying goes, 'The voice of the masses is the sacred will of God'."

 

An experienced priest, Ma had been acting bishop of the Xingtai diocese, Hebei Province in north China, where he persuaded all "underground" Catholics to join his church. He was later promoted to secretary-general of a college of about 60 Chinese bishops.

 

"Kunming diocese requested the college years ago to send Ma to manage their religious affairs, which the college eventually agreed to," said Liu.

 

Under Chinese Catholic Church rules, a bishop has to be ordained within three months of the election. "But as a prerequisite, he also has to pass the college's qualification and election procedure checks," Liu said.

 

The bishop election, under the rules, is divided into two parts, one is pre-election and the other one is the final and deciding one, said Chen Qu, director of the election and ordination office of Anhui diocese.

 

"All those who have worked as a priest for more than five years and above 35 can be candidates," said Chen.

 

Liu Xinhong, the newly elected bishop of Anhui, has served several local churches for 12 years. At an election on Dec. 24, 2005, he garnered 32 of all the 37 ballots, defeating other three candidates.

 

Wang Xinjian, an Anhui priest who attended election, sang high praise of Liu.

 

"He deserves respect from all priests and believers and is really competent for his bishop work," said Wang.

 

The ordainations are also made to satisfy the work need of the church, Liu Bainian said, because a diocese without a bishop, according to Catholic traditions, would be viewed as one without church.

 

Kunming didn't have a bishop for 13 years and Anhui for one year. In Anhui, the late bishop Zhu Huayu, who died in Feb. 2005, had failed to handle religious affairs for five years due to his deteriorated health.

 

By late April this year, 38 of China's 97 dioceses remain without bishops with the bishops of another 30 dioceses aging more than 80.

 

A spokesman for the State Administration of Religious Affairs on Saturday lashed out at Vatican, saying the latter's criticism on China "makes no sense."

 

"The Chinese government had recently informed the Vatican about ordaining bishops in some Chinese dioceses but received no straightforward responses from the latter," said the spokesman.

 

"On the contrary, the Vatican made unfounded charges after the successful ordinations, a move that ran against the remarks of the Vatican hoping to improve its relationship with China," he noted, claiming that the Chinese government has proposed to the Vatican on putting aside the differences in a practical manner.

 

"The Chinese government is sincere in improving ties with the Vatican and has made unremitting efforts in this regard," he said.

 

Official statistics show that there are more than 5 million Catholic believers in China. The figure was 2.7 million half a century ago.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2006)