Chinese Bishop under house arrest

(April 9, 2010) A Chinese bishop has been put under house arrest for refusing to concelebrate Mass with an excommunicated bishop. Sources told AsiaNews that Bishop Matthias Du Jiang of Bameng who was officially installed on Thursday, was placed under house arrest because of his refusal to concelebrate Mass with Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin during the installation ceremony. Bishop Ma was ordained in 2006 without Holy See approval in 2006, an act which automatically incurred excommunication. Bishop Du has been heading Bameng diocese (Inner Mongolia) for the past six years. He was ordained in secret, with Vatican approval, and without permission by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), an agency that is trying to set up a national Catholic Church, separate from Rome. the 47-year old Bishop Du has not been able to speak in public as bishop until now, nor was not able to wear his Episcopal biretta and pectoral cross in public. Thursday’s ceremony in Sanshenggong Cathedral was designed to show that Bishop Du was being recognised by the government. However, the CCPA demanded that Joseph Ma Yinglin, unlawfully consecrated on 30 April 2006, be part of the service. During Thursday’s ceremony, Bishop Du publicly said that he was forced to take part in the Mass with Ma Yinglin.