Thaddeus Ma Daqin

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ma.
Thaddeus Ma Daqin
Bishop of Shanghai
Church Roman Catholic Church
Diocese Diocese of Shanghai
See St. Ignatius Cathedral, Shanghai
Installed 16 March 2014
Predecessor Joseph Fan Zhongliang
Orders
Ordination 1994
Consecration 7 July 2012
by Joseph Fan Zhongliang
Personal details
Born 1968
Shanghai, China
Motto Ut Sint Unum Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Coat of arms Ut Sint Unum Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Thaddeus Ma Daqin (Chinese: 马达钦) (born 1968, Shanghai, China) is the Roman Catholic bishop of Shanghai. He was appointed as auxiliary bishop with the approval of the Holy See and Chinese Government in July 2012.[1] He announced his resignation from the Chinese government mandated Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association at his episcopal ordination Mass, and was taken into custody as a result. The Chinese Government has detained him under house arrest ever since (largely confined to Sheshan Seminary) and has prevented him from carrying out his episcopal duties.[2][3]

Early life and priesthood

Ma was born in Shanghai and was ordained as a priest in 1994, after graduating from the Sheshan Seminary. He is a former editor of the Shanghai Diocese's Guangqi Press, one of the two main Catholic publishers in the People's Republic of China. He served as head of Shanghai Pudong Deanery and, in December 2011, was appointed as Vicar General by Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian.[4]

Bishop

St. Ignatius Cathedral, Xujiahui, Shanghai. Ma was ordained a bishop here on 7 July 2012, and thereafter was taken into custody.

In 1951, the Chinese government severed formal ties with the Vatican, and by Chinese law Catholic worship is only permitted in government-controlled churches. Many of China's estimated 10 million Catholics are believed to have remained loyal to the Pope, gathering in underground churches.[5] The Chinese government claims the authority to approve and appoint bishops.

In 2012, Ma received the approval of both Beijing and the Holy See for appointment as a bishop.[5] On 7 July 2012 was consecrated a bishop.[6] In Shanghai's St. Ignatius Cathedral, in front of a congregation which included Communist Party officials, Ma used his ordination speech to announce his resignation from the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.[7] He told the 1,000-member congregation that he was leaving the government body to focus on the duties of his new position. The move drew loud applause, but was seen by the government as a challenge to state control of Catholic churches and clergy.[8] He also refused to share a chalice with a bishop who has been excommunicated by the Roman Church.[9]

In December 2013, the BBC reported that Bishop Ma had not seen in public for almost 18 months and that during his confinement at Sheshan Seminary, he was being given "political lessons – communist indoctrination by any other name – three times a week".[7]

Upon the death of Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang on 16 March 2014, the Holy See recognized Bishop Ma as the Bishop of the Diocese of Shanghai.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Catholic.org; Bishops who are not Ordinaries of Sees; retrieved 26 January 2014
  2. ↑ Shanghai's Bishop Ma makes rare public appearance UCANews; 31 October 2013
  3. ↑ Ucanews Directory; retrieved 26 January 2014
  4. ↑ Ucanews Directory; retrieved 26 January 2014
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Reports: Chinese bishop detained after shunning Party control". CNN, 11 July 2013
  6. ↑ Catholic.org; Bishops who are not Ordinaries of Sees; retrieved 26 January 2014
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "China's detained bishop Ma 'given political lessons'". BBC, 23 December 2013
  8. ↑ "China 'detains' Shanghai bishop who quit official post ". BBC; 10 July 2012
  9. ↑ Under arrest, Mgr Ma Daqin is stripped of his title as Shanghai bishop; AsiaNews.it; 12 October 2012
  10. ↑ Hon, Savio (18 March 2014), "Bishop Fan Zhongliang: Better broken jade than intact tile", AsiaNews.it