New Chinese bishop pledges loyalty to Pope

Father Peter Wu Junwei was ordained the third bishop of Xinjiang (Yuncheng) diocese with both papal approval and government recognition on 21 September 2010, on the Feast Day of St. Matthew. In his speech, Bishop Wu thanked Pope Benedict XVI for his appointment and trust. “I am determined to be loyal to the Pope forever,” he said.

He also urged his flock to follow the example of Saint Matthew the Apostle, whose feast was celebrated on the day of his Episcopal Ordination, to give up everything to follow Jesus and spread the Gospel.

Newly ordained Bishop Peter Wu Junwei of Xinjiang

The former rector of the Shanxi Montecorvino Major Seminary is also concerned about laity formation. Though the local Church baptized many in recent decades, the number of Catholics remains small, he said. The diocese now has 28 priests and about 40 nuns serving 15,000 Catholics, two-thirds of whom are farmers. The 48-year-old bishop comes from a staunch Catholic family. His brother is a priest while his sister is a nun. Their great granduncle, Saint Peter Wu Anbang, was martyred during the Boxer Uprising of 1900. He was canonized among the 120 Chinese martyrs in 2000.

About 140 priests concelebrated the Mass at the cathedral in Xinjiang county for about 2,000 people.