Source: Zenit
HOHHOT, China, APRIL 21, 2010 (Zenit.org).- A bishop was ordained April 18 for a Chinese diocese that has been waiting five years for the approval from both Church and state authorities.
Bishop Paul Meng Qinglu, 47, was ordained by three prelates in communion with and officially recognized by Rome, while thousands of faithful gathered to witness, reported Eglises d'Asie, agency of the foreign missions of Paris.
The prelate will lead the Diocese of Hohhot, in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was brimming with faithful for the occasion. Some 500 Catholics with admission tickets gained entrance to the building, while 2,000 others gathered in front of the church.
Some 80 priests from five dioceses of Inner Mongolia, the majority of whom studied with Father Paul Meng or had been his students, concelebrated the ordination Mass.
Article provided by ZENIT News Agency.