New Chinese bishop said to work well in delicate situations

Published: 2007-12-04

GUANGZHOU, China (CNS) -- The new bishop of the Guangzhou Diocese has been described as an "amiable person" who knows how to work in delicate situations. A layman who attended the Dec. 4 ordination of Bishop Joseph Gan Junqiu told the Asian church news agency UCA News that about 1,500 people witnessed the ceremony inside the Sacred Heart Cathedral and on a TV screen in a temporary chapel. Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, is more than 1,000 miles south of Beijing. When the new bishop was giving his blessing to the faithful as he left the altar, Bishop Gan approached and embraced a young Catholic who has a mental disability, he said. "We were all moved," said the layman, who requested anonymity. He described Bishop Gan as an "amiable person who gets along well with the laypeople." He said the prelate knows how to work in a low-key manner in delicate situations, such as contacting church people from overseas and protecting clergy who approached him from Catholic communities not registered with the government.

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