China: Consecration of the new bishop of Shaowu

By Vatican News

On Wednesday, 31 January, the new bishop of Shaowu (Minbei) in the Chinese province of Fujian was consecrated.

Father Pietro Wu Yishun was appointed by Pope Francis on 16 December 2023.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday by the Holy See Press Office following his episcopal consecration, as set out in the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China.

Bishop Pietro Wu Yishun was born on 7 December 1964. He was ordained a priest on 15 August, 1992, for the Diocese of Xiamen.

Later sent to Minbei, he served there as a pastor, holding various roles, including being the parish priest of Nanping and responsible for the Apostolic Prefectures of Shaowu and Jian’ou.

Catholic community in Fujian province

The consecration liturgy of the new bishop, reported by the Vatican's Fides news agency, took place in the Chengguan parish of the Jianyang district, dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, in the city of Nanping (Fujian province).

Bishop Giuseppe Li Shan of Beijing presided over the consecration. Three other Chinese bishops, around eighty priests from various dioceses in China, and over 360 lay faithful participated in the liturgy.

The life of the ecclesial community in the diocese of Shaowu (Minbei), according to Fides, is woven with the ordinary gestures of catechism, liturgies, prayers, charitable works, and the succession of months dedicated each year to St. Joseph, Mary, the Sacred Heart, and the Rosary.

Churches of ancient origin are restored and recovered, and pastoral initiatives are shared according to the priorities suggested by the Pope.

Thus, the diocesan parishes celebrated specific initiatives during the Pauline Year, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, and the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, announced by Pope Francis.

Prayers were offered in the diocesan parishes for the success of the Olympics and the end of the pandemic. In the face of earthquakes and natural disasters, funds and relief goods are collected for the affected populations.

During the Year of Mercy, concluded Fides, the diocesan community designated two ancient churches, built more than 110 years ago, as sanctuaries with Holy Doors to pass through, thus living communion with the universal Church and the Successor of Peter.