HONG KONG (UCAN): Bishops in China have asked Catholics to avoid public gatherings despite the decreasing number Covid-19 coronavirus infections and cautioned against a new wave of unacceptable online prayer programmes.
Bishop Peter Fang Jianping of Tangshan, warned particularly against the preaching of one priest, Father Zhisheng, who maintains that illness is a result of sin.
“Some of the teachings of Father Zhisheng are not in line with the Catholic faith, and everyone is reminded to stop sharing information about him,” Bishop Fang said.
Father Zhisheng who is from Liaoning, in northeast China, specialises in training Church ministers. In 2007, he founded a retreat group and trained preachers across the country.
Father Joseph, a theologian, praised Bishop Fang for taking a stand against the priest. “Our Catholic faith is not superstition. So it is right and necessary for us to discern information and remind our members to stay away from misleading teachings,” he said.
Cyberspace in China has been flooded with broadcasts from various faiths since December as people started home-based prayers to avoid gatherings as Covid-19 spread after first being reported in Wuhan.
Catholic leaders said that projecting illness as being a result of sin will end up putting the Catholic faith in a poor light, particularly at this time.
As Jesus told his disciples when asked about the man born blind (John 9:3): “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”
Father Zhang, a parish priest, said that Father Zhisheng had once preached in his parish when he emphasised miraculous cures over evangelisation. “As disciples of Jesus, we are to follow him on earth and live a good life here,” Father Zhang said.
Wang Meng, who has participated in a training camp run by Father Zhisheng, recounted that “some people who experience healing become believers. But when they fall ill again, their faith is shaken and they leave the Church.”
