Pope names four mainland Chinese bishops to October synod

Published: 2005-09-08

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In what could be a promising move for Vatican-China relations, Pope Benedict XVI has named four mainland Chinese bishops as members of the October Synod of Bishops. Church sources in Rome said two of the bishops belong to the government-approved Catholic Church in China, while the other two have been members of the underground church that has rejected official government ties. None are listed in the Vatican's official pontifical yearbook. The appointments were announced without comment by the Vatican Sept. 8. Those named to the synod were: Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai, a government-recognized bishop; Bishop Anthony Li Du'an of Xi'an, a government-approved bishop; Bishop Luke Li Jingfeng of Fengxiang, an underground church leader; and Bishop Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar, another underground church bishop. The appointments to the Oct. 2-23 synod were seen as a potential breakthrough, in part because the full spectrum of the Catholic community in China would be represented at the Rome assembly for the first time.

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