(October 12, 2012) An Italian Catholic magazine has collected dozens of messages
of support for a Chinese bishop who has not been seen in public since he declared
his intention to leave the government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association,
that does not recognize the authority of the Pope in Rome. Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin,
the auxiliary of Shanghai had made his intention clear during his ordination in July.
The monthly magazine ‘Mondo e Missione’ (World and Mission), published in Italy by
the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions or PIME, launched an appeal on its website
on October 5, calling on readers to show solidarity with Bishop Ma. They have received
about a hundred messages, mostly from Europe and South America. The editors stressed
that they hope to present Bishop Ma’s “courageous witness” as a “symbolic gesture
of unity in the Church.” Two bishops from Brazil have pledged special prayers in
their dioceses for Bishop Ma during the coming Year of Faith.