The ordination of five new bishops is a symbol of development for the Chinese Catholic Church,said Fu Tieshan, chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, during an interview with Xinhua in Beijing on January 6.

The Chinese Catholic Bishops College this morning ordained fivenew bishops here at a two-hour ceremony, during which the new bishops were handed the mitre and the cross.

"It is a joyous occasion for the Chinese Catholic Church and witness to our development during the past decades," said Fu, who became bishop of Beijing 20 years ago.

"Today's ordination is nothing more than a normal religious activity of the Chinese Church and the common will of our more than 4 million followers," he said.

"Since the average age of the current Chinese bishops is nearly80, to have more younger bishops is of crucial importance for the Church's development in the new era," he said, adding that the average age of the five new bishops is about 45, and the youngest,assistant bishop of the Tangshan diocese Fang Jianping, is only 37.

All five new bishops ordained today were nominated and elected in a democratic way, and were approved by the Chinese Catholic Bishops College, he said.

"The reason we choose today to hold the ceremony is that today is the Epiphany, an important feast for Catholics of all colors and nationalities in the world," the religious leader said.

"Other churches in China also held grand masses today to celebrate the holy day," he added.

The bishop said that because normal relations between China andthe Vatican were interrupted several decades ago, China began to elect and ordain bishops in 1958 in an effort to guarantee the smooth development of the Chinese Church.

"Without that decision, there would be no development of the Chinese Church today, which is now entering a golden period in itshistory."

According to Bishop Fu, China now has some 5,000 churches and more than 4 million Catholics, more than 1,000 of whom are currently representatives or members of the people's congresses and the Chinese people's political consultative congresses at all levels. (Xinhua)