SHANGHAI, July 10 (UPI) -- A Catholic priest in China announced immediately after his elevation to auxiliary bishop that he will no longer work with the government-backed church.
The Rev. Thaddeus Ma Daqin made the statement Saturday to applause from a packed church in Shanghai, The New York Times reported. His consecration made him the likely successor of Shanghai Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, 95, who serves with the approval of the Vatican and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.