When Leo XIV Allowed Illicit Episcopal Consecrations
Having accepted in 2025 bishops appointed unilaterally by China, Leo XIV should not threaten the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) with excommunication for similar actions, writes Rev Matthew Dimock, a diocesan priest of the Diocese of Charlotte on OnePeterFive.com on June 25.
Rev. Dimock is NOT a defender of the FSSPX.
His argument is that justice requires the Church to enforce its laws consistently, rather than making exceptions based on diplomatic or political considerations.
In late April 2025, during the period between the death of Francis and the election of a new pope, the Chinese Communist Party announced the election of two bishops, an Auxiliary Bishop of Shanghai and the Bishop of Xinxiang. Shanghai already had two bishops and one auxiliary bishop. Xinxiang already had a bishop.
Normally, the Vatican publicly announces bishops before their episcopal consecrations, but in these cases the announcements came only on the day of the consecration.
Rev. Dimock argues that …More
As an example of how Catholic clergy were/are treated in China, the UCA (Catholic News agency in Asia) reported in 2007: “In the days before the patriotic congress, Catholic clergy in Hebei province – were pressured by the government to attend the congress."
Bishop Li disappeared after the army forced him to illicitly ordain a bishop. People believed Li was embarrassed to show his face to the faithful for what happened and hid himself in the Cathedral in Cangzhou.
After a few weeks, police officers and other people went to the cathedral and gave the resident priests there an “ultimatum” to hand over the bishop, UCA News reported.
The diocesan Vicar General, Chancellor and two other priests who work at Bishop Li’s house were taken away, detained, and questioned for information on the bishop’s whereabouts. They were warned that if the bishop could not be found, his family and the diocese would face trouble. The officials questioned everybody in the house, including the doorkeepers and kitchen staff. (I don’t know if the bishop has been found yet – that was 19 years ago, but Catholic Online website continues to ask readers to pray for him.)
At another incident, government troops forcibly removed Bishop Peter Feng Xinmao of Hengshui from his house and took him to Beijing. UCA News reported that when police officers and government officials tried to break into the bishop’s house, they beat up the nuns and laypeople guarding the building.
Fr. Jeroom Heyndrickx, a Belgian missionary, said: “Eight bishops, all appointed by Rome, were picked up from their homes against their will. They were isolated, their mobile phones were taken away, they were put in heavily fortified cars and brought to the old mission of Pingquan.
“There they were ordered to preside at the illegitimate bishop’s ordination in front of communist leaders and a small local community of faithful.”
Fr. Heyndrickx said it was a strange congregation that attended the consecration for they were composed mostly of armed soldiers.
The Archdiocese of Perth in Australia reported that Pope Benedict XVI said the Chinese patriotic association and the Bishops’ conference, whose statutes promote “the principles of independence and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church,” ARE NOT IN LINE WITH CHURCH DOCTRINE.
However, in a 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics, Benedict also recognised the difficult situation of Bishops and priests under pressure from the government and said the HOLY SEE “LEAVES THE DECISION TO THE INDIVIDUAL BISHOP,” HAVING CONSULTED HIS PRIESTS, “TO WEIGH … AND TO EVALUATE THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES” of dealing with government pressures in each given situation.
Cardinal Zen of Hongkong said the bishops called the Vatican to apologize for having participated in the illicit consecrations, but they were, in fact, under the gun when the consecrations were done.
The articles of Faith presented to the faithful by SSPX is the faith of our fathers living still we will be true till death. Long live Christ the King
Let us recall that, in defending unrepentant sodomite priests, the infamous Jorge Bergoglio resorted to the evil argument that it was not his place to judge those who—according to his heretical view—were "seeking" God; he thus set himself up as a judge of divine law and Catholic morality, creating a "gay" pseudo-identity for these apostate priests—a feat impossible for an obstinate sinner who remains blind amidst the darkness of his perversion and his tenacious refusal to abandon sin in order to find God.
Pro-communist Prevost to justify the ordination of communist apostates as 'bishops' in China: "with the desire to promote pastoral care for the Lord's flock and to attend more effectively to their spiritual well-being."
One more comment from la verdad prevalece
Prevost permitted illicit episcopal consecrations of Chinese communist apostates.
Rev Dimock, do you actually believe Bobby Prevost reads your missives? He is right now almost as worthless as colon compromised Bergoglio was. He will soon be worse if the Deity allows him years of abuse against the faithful the same sort of abuse Bergoglio heaped upon the people of Christ...
Hey! Leo is OK with however many bishops the Chinese Patriotic Association wants... Why? The CPA does the NOVUS ORDO!