First time Chinese Bishops participate at a Synod

Oct 12, 2018

By Joshua J. McElwee
The October Synod is also marked by the fact that two bishops from mainland China are taking part for the first time since the beginning of the Synod process in 1967, thanks to the recent “provisional agreement” between the Vatican and Beijing that ended a decades-long dispute over the appointment of Catholic bishops in the Communist country.

During his homily, Francis mentioned those two bishops — Joseph Guo Jincai of Chengde and John Baptist Yang Xiao-ting of Yan’an — and said that “the communion of the entire episcopate with the Successor of Peter is yet more visible thanks to their presence.”

(This article first appeared on NCRonline.org, the Website of National Catholic Reporter, and is being used with permission)