Joseph Shen Bin Explained

Type:Bishop
Joseph Shen Bin
Native Name:沈斌
Bishop of Shanghai
Coat Of Arms:Coat of arms of Joseph Shen Bin.svg
Church:Catholic Church
Diocese:Diocese of Shanghai
Appointed:15 July 2023
Predecessor:Mark Yuan Wen-zai
Ordination:1 November 1996
Consecration:21 April 2010
Birth Date:23 February 1970
Birth Place:Qidong, Jiangsu, China
Previous Post:Bishop of Haimen (2010–23)
Motto:Adveniat Regnum Tuum ("Thy Kingdom Come")

Joseph Shen Bin (born 23 February 1970) is a Chinese prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as Bishop of Shanghai and president of Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. He was Bishop of Haimen from 2010 to 2023.

Biography

Joseph Shen Bin was born into a Catholic family on 23 February 1970 in Qidong, in the province of Jiangsu. He studied philosophy in Sheshan, Shanghai, and in theology in Beijing, and he was ordained a priest on 1 November 1996. He worked in the diocese of Haimen as parish vicar in Sacred Heart of Jesus parish and then as vicar general of the diocese, and then as parish priest in the parish Mother of God parish.[1]

On 17 April 2010 he was appointed to the see of Haimen, with the consent of the Holy See and the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He received his episcopal consecration on 21 April[1] in the Cathedral of Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in Haimen (Nantong).[2]

In September 2017, he participated in a meeting organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio in the German dioceses of Münster and Osnabrück.[2] On that occasional he told an interviewer about the relationship between the Church and the government of China:[2]

On 4 April 2023, Shen was installed as the Bishop of Shanghai in the Cathedral of St. Ignatius[3] without the approval of the Holy See.[4] The priests of the diocese were invited to attend without being told the name of their new bishop.[3] Pope Francis named him bishop of Shanghai on 15 July 2023.[1] Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Francis was acceding to the government's action as a pastoral gesture for the sake of the Catholics of Shanghai and despite the fact that the government's unilateral action violated the spirit of the 2018 accord between the PRC and the Holy See.[5] He said Francis hoped to "remedy the canonical irregularity created in Shanghai, in view of the greater good of the diocese and the fruitful exercise of the bishop’s pastoral ministry".[6]

Since 2022, he has been president of the College of Chinese Catholic Bishops, a government-sanctioned religious group created by the State Administration for Religious Affairs of the PRC.[7]

His immediate predecessor in Shanghai, Matthew Yu Chengcai, was not recognized by the Holy See.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. 20 July 2023 . 15 July 2023 . Holy See Press Office . Resignations and Appointments, 15.07.2023 .
  2. 20 July 2023 . Shen Bin: in China nobody wants a Church separated from the Pope . La Stampa . 2 October 2017 . Joseph . Shen . Gianni Valente .
  3. News: 20 July 2023 . The Pillar . China installs new bishop in Shanghai, despite local opposition . 4 April 2023 .
  4. News: No statement from the Vatican after Shanghai gets a new bishop. AsiaNews. Roman Catholic Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. 4 April 2023. 5 April 2023.
  5. News: 20 July 2023 . Pope recognizes China's unilateral appointment of Shanghai bishop, three months after the fact. National Catholic Reporter . 17 July 2023 . Associated Press . Nicole . Winfield.
  6. News: The Tablet . 20 July 2023 . Vatican confirms Shanghai bishop to sustain ‘spirit of dialogue’ . 18 July 2023 . Patrick . Hudson .
  7. News: Chinese Patriotic Association bishop hopes for reconciliation with 'underground' Church. The Tablet. 9 October 2017. 20 July 2023 . Ellen . Teague . James . Roberts .
  8. News: New, Vatican-approved Episcopal ordination in Jiangsu. Wang Rui-Zhen Yuan. AsiaNews. Roman Catholic Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. 21 April 2010.