Beijing, China, Sep 18, 2007 / 09:18 am
A new bishop will be ordained for Beijing this week, but the bishop-elect has not yet received the approval of Pope Benedict XVI.
China’s 59-member Conference of Bishops approved Fr. Joseph Li Shan on Aug. 28 and an ordination ceremony will be held Friday, said Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
Fr. Li succeeds Bishop Fu Tieshan of Beijing, who died in April. Bishop Fu was chairman of the Patriotic Association and became acting chairman of the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China in 2005. He also served on an advisory body to China's legislature, the National People's Congress.
The AP reported that Liu said there had been no contact between China and the Vatican about Fr. Li's appointment "because the two sides have no diplomatic relations."