As veteran bishops die, China steps up pressure on new generation

Published: 2007-04-05

BEIJING (CNS) -- As China's veteran bishops die, the government appears to be stepping up pressure on the new generation of church leaders. Many of the older bishops spent time in prison during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution and found the strength to resist government pressures once China began allowing Catholics to practice their faith in the early 1980s, said people familiar with the situation of the Catholic Church in China. But the new generation of bishops -- most of whom are in their late 30s and early 40s -- find it more difficult to resist. Several young bishops indicated they realized the pressures they would face when they accepted the job, and at least one indicated that it was his way of bearing Jesus' cross. Many of China's young bishops spent time studying and traveling abroad before their appointments; at least four have studied in the United States. The vice chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Anthony Liu Bainian, said the Chinese church has sent more than 30 bishops to European countries or South Korea to learn church administration. Yet some report that after they have been named bishops their movements are restricted.

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