ASIA/CHINA - After the papal appointment, Bishop Shen Bin celebrates his first solemn liturgy in Shanghai for the patronal feast of St.Ignatius of Loyola

Shanghai (Fides News Agency) – The cathedral of the Catholic diocese of Shanghai, built between 1905 and 1910 on the initiative of the Jesuits of the French province, is dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. In that very church, Bishop Giuseppe Shen Bin celebrated his first solemn liturgy after receiving the papal appointment to the episcopal see of Shanghai on July 15. Shen Bin presided over the solemn Eucharistic liturgy in the Cathedral on Sunday, July 30, on the occasion of the patronal feast of St.Ignatius of Loyola. The liturgical memorial of the Spanish saint, celebrated on July 31, in Shanghai had been brought forward by one day for reasons of pastoral opportunity, given that July 31 was a working day. The circumstances of the first solemn liturgy celebrated by Bishop Shen Bin after the papal appointment, and precisely on the occasion of the feast of St.Ignatius, takes on a unique resonance if one considers the close historical link between the diocese of Shanghai and the Jesuits, as well as the fact that in the history of the Society of Jesus Pope Francis is the first Jesuit to become the Successor of Peter.
On July 15, Pope Francis appointed Shen Bin Bishop of Shanghai, transferring him from the Diocese of Haimen, in the Jiangsu province. On April 4 (see Fides 4/4/2023), by direction of Chinese political authorities, Bishop Shen Bin had already been installed as head of the diocese of Shanghai, without the Holy See having been initially involved in his transfer from the diocese of Haimen. Over a thousand faithful and dozens of priests from the diocese of Shanghai participated in the celebration on Sunday, July 30, braving the torrid heat. All prayed that the proclamation of the Gospel in the diocese led by Bishop Shen Bin would develop intensely and consistently, through the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the homily, the diocesan vicar, Father Ignazio Wu Jianlin retraced the life of St. Ignatius, his devotion to the Lord and his earthly pilgrimage, which led him to the risk of losing himself in the search for worldly honours, to his interior renewal given by faith, a faith always called to follow in discernment the will of God, who gives grace and frees the heart from selfishness. Father Wu urged everyone to reflect on their own lives and to pay particular attention to that special “turning point” between possible perdition and the renewal of faith. The diocesan Vicar encouraged the faithful to follow the example of the saints in serving the Lord with all their heart and glorifying God, welcoming the gift of faith as the source of that strength necessary to walk through life, embracing even the commitments of study and work so as to contribute to the development of Shanghai and its Church. At the end of the liturgy, Bishop Shen Bin, along with all those in attendance, also prayed for Father Wu and for all those who bear the name of Ignatius. (NZ) (Fides News Agency 1/8/2023)

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