SHANGHAI BISHOP JIN ON ILLICIT ORDINATION OF XUZHOU BISHOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 007097

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DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND DRL/PHD
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2016
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV CH VT
SUBJECT: SHANGHAI BISHOP JIN ON ILLICIT ORDINATION OF XUZHOU BISHOP


CLASSIFIED BY: Mary Tarnowka, Section Chief, Political/Economic
Section, U.S. Consulate Shanghai.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary: Shanghai Bishop Jin was shocked to learn of
the illicit ordination of Xuzhou Bishop Wang Renlei. He said
that the ordination was ridiculous and a challenge by the
Chinese government to the Vatican. He said there was no hope
for reconciliation in the near future. According to Bishop Jin,
the Xuzhou diocese was a weak diocese with few Catholics.
However, such an illicit ordination weakened the Catholic church
and could lead some believers to become disillusioned. While
Bishop Jin appeared to be mentally acute, he was physically
weaker then in past meetings. He said he was eager to retire
but was told by government officials that he would not be able
to retire for at least another three to four years. End
Summary.




2. (C) In a discussion on November 30, Shanghai Bishop Jin said
the non-sanctioned ordination of Xuzhou Bishop Wang Renlei on
November 30 was ridiculous and said there was no hope for
reconciliation between the Vatican and Beijing in the near
future. The ordination was a challenge from the Chinese
government to the Vatican and signaled that Beijing would not
compromise on key issues. He added that the Vatican would
probably also become more rigid in reaction to the ordination
and less willing to compromise.




3. (C) Bishop Jin said no one had informed him or anyone in
his diocese of the ordination before Poloff raised it with him
and lamented that this meant he was isolated. He said that the
Shanghai diocese was relatively independent. With over 50,000
congregants and 72 priests, the Shanghai diocese was one of the
largest and richest dioceses in China. He was therefore able to
run the diocese without much government interference. He also
had encouraged other dioceses to become more independent and
provided them with books and financial assistance. According to
Bishop Jin, Ningbo and Wenzhou dioceses were the most
independent diocese in East China. Wenzhou had approximately
120,000 Catholics. However, half of the Catholics in Wenzhou
belonged to the underground Church and there was no Bishop at
the official church.




4. (C) According to Bishop Jin, the Xuzhou diocese was very
weak and had few Catholics. He said that the former Bishop,
Qian Yurong was not well liked or respected. He had married
during the Cultural Revolution and never separated from his
wife. While Bishop Qian was over 90 years of age, there was no
need to rush to replace him. He noted that Nantong diocese,
which was also located in Jiangsu Province, had not had a Bishop
for a few years and with a larger congregation had a greater
need for a Bishop. He noted, however, that the Catholics in
Nantong were very fervent and would not accept a Bishop that was
not approved by Rome.




5. (C) Bishop Jin was shocked to hear that Bishop Wang was only
37 years old and said that it would be difficult for such a
young Bishop to be taken seriously. According to Cardinal Law,
a bishop must be over 35 years old. He worried that such an
illicit ordination would drive people away from the church and
would cause some believers to become disillusioned.




6. (C) Bishop Jin's health appeared to have deteriorated since
Poloff last visited in summer of 2006. The 91-year old Bishop
was wearing hearing aids in both ears and walked slower then
normal. He added that he had given up studying Spanish because
he had problems with his short-term memory. He noted that he
asked the Chinese government for permission to retire last year
but was denied. Government officials told him last year that he
was very important and the reason why the Shanghai diocese was
so stable. They told him that he could retire in three or four
years, after the 2008 Olympics. He said that he could not wait

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until the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. In the meantime, he had
divested much of his day-to-day responsibilities to Auxiliary
Bishop Xing and other members of the diocese.
JARRETT