The Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives and the silence of the Vatican

Asia News ^ | December 12, 2016 | Bernardo Cervellera

[ebb tide]

The rally, called the "sovereign" body that dominates the Chinese Church, will be held in Beijing December 26 to 30. For Pope Benedict XVI it is "incompatible with Catholic doctrine". Its function: to affirm that the Church is "property" of the state (and the Party), and always split over the faithful. The examples of the past. In 2010 many bishops have been kidnapped to force them to participate. official and underground Catholics are appealing to the pope for judgment on this Assembly and the episcopal ordinations in the presence of an illegitimate bishop. Catholics around the world must ask the Chinese government to respect the dignity and religious rights of its citizens.

Rome (AsiaNews) - From December 26 to 30 next will be held in Beijing the Ninth National Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives. It is the most authoritative gathering of the official Church in China, the one recognized by the government. In its statutes such a meeting is called the "sovereign body" on the Church.

The Assembly brings together dozens of official bishops recognized by Beijing - those recognized by the Vatican and those unrecognized, illegal or excommunicated. Joining them are the representatives of the Patriotic Association (PA), whether Catholics or atheists as well as a number of priests, nuns and lay people. In the last meeting, in December 2010 there were 341 members . The track assembly of the commitment slopes of Catholics in society, the activities of the Church, the episcopal appointments and even matters of theology, as well as vote for the renewal of the chairman of the board positions of Chinese Bishops (a sort of episcopal conference not recognized by the Holy See because of missing underground bishops) and the president of the PA.

It is not yet known about the topics to be addressed in the next rally. AsiaNews sources say that the PA officials have traveled far and wide for China to invite the bishops to the meeting by checking (and sometimes promising) the possible election of prelates to the two major charges. As you know, in China there are no free elections, but everything is prepared behind the scenes so that the rally the vote is only formal and end as previously planned.

Among the possible candidates for presidents of the Council of Bishops becomes the name of Msgr. Joseph Shen Bin, 46, bishop of Haimen (Jiangsu) , or that of Msgr. John Baptist Yang Xiaoting, 52, bishop of Yulin (Shaanxi) .

Among the candidates for the presidency of the Patriotic Association, it gets the name of Msgr. Joseph Guo Jincai, 48, illicit bishop of Chengde (Hebei) . The first two are both bishops recognized by the Holy See; however the latter is one of eight illegitimate bishops. Indeed, Msgr. Guo Jincai, ordained in 2010 has opened a number of bishops ordained without papal mandate, ushering in a new chapter of harassment and violence to the religious freedom of the Christian community.

Other sources, however, expect that the Assembly will confirm the current Presidents: Mgr. Joseph Ma Yinglin, illicit bishop of Kunming (Conference Chair) and Msgr. Fang Xingyao of Linyi (president of the PA), closely near to the Beijing government.

Many lay Catholics and priests look with indifference the Assembly meeting, seen only as an opportunity for some opportunists to make the climb to power but without any real concern for the mission of the Church in China.

But many priests of the official and underground Church are offended by this meeting that mixes together "rice and sand", the official bishops in communion with the Pope and bishops excommunicated treated as equals and forced to share the sacrament of unity. also makes the problem the fact that to direct the music are not bishops - as would be the case for a Church that claims to "apostolic" - but the leaders of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (State Administration for Religious Affairs, Sara), almost confirming that command the Church in China is the government, or the Communist Party, which even meddling in strictly religious matters as the appointment of bishops, issues of doctrine and liturgy, missionary choices.

The silence of the Vatican

These priests recall that the Assembly, the Council of Bishops, the Patriotic Association have been branded as "incompatible with Catholic doctrine" by Benedict XVI in his Letter to Chinese Catholics (2007). "And yet - one of them said to AsiaNews - attend these meetings, join this association has become an obvious fact, which no longer gives scandal, so it's almost a necessary element of faith in China. In this way it cheapens the meaning of faith and the sacrament of the Eucharist, an expression of communion with Christ and with the Pope ".

Several priests of the unofficial church, which does not adhere to the PA and this is persecuted, are amazed at the Vatican silence about the whole affair. They, as well as many priests of the official Church ask the Holy See and Pope Francis to rule criticizing this manipulation of faith, rather "awaiting his pronouncement".

In fact, when Sara organized the previous Assembly (7-9 December 2010), the Commission for the Church in China - then alive, led by Benedict XVI - had asked the priests and the bishops tied to the Pope to avoid the " making gestures (such as, for example, sacramental celebrations, episcopal ordinations, attending meetings) that contradict communion with the Pope "(March 2010). And many bishops have followed the indication so that Sara has delayed the appointment and the end has even compelled by force several bishops to participate .

So far, the Holy See is silent. However some commentators speak of the Vatican things that, with an interpretation closer to the PA, advise the Vatican to be quiet because after this meeting wanted by Sara is just a political thing.

In fact it is so a "thing" policy, but because in China everything is political, even religion.

The Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives has indeed a unique value: to affirm that religion is the property of the State (or Party). Doing what Sara gets a second result: divide the Church more and more, increasing the gap between official and underground Catholics. And this is an ecclesial problem. In addition, the policy choices Assembly then fall on the life of the Church in the (deficient) prospects of evangelization and in the appointment of bishops. Why the silence of the Vatican seems to many faithful and priests an endorsement to the situation or even a share of it.

Church "independent" state property

If you look at previous gatherings, one realizes that the Assemblies have been convened precisely to proclaim these truths of the Party: the "ownership" of the state on the Church and the Catholic religion and the division.

In 1998 (17-20 January), the Sixth Assembly, the bishops wanted to elect President Msgr. Anthony Li Duan of Xian, known as a great pastor faithful to the pope. But the party has decided to stand out the patriotic bishop of Nanking, Mgr. Joseph Liu Yuanren and sad illicit bishop of Beijing, Msgr. Michael Fu Tieshan.

In 2004 (July 7 to 9), there was still a hosanna to the "independence of the Church" (the Holy See), in submission to the Party, resulted in the reconfirmation of Liu Yuanren and Fu Tieshan.

That of 2004 was an attempt - in the words of Ye Xiaowen, then director of the Religious Affairs - to destroy the canonization of the Chinese martyrs, took place in 2000. It had seen a convergence of all Catholics on the cult of the martyrs: distributed booklets to all the faithful; common celebrations between official and unofficial; gestures of reconciliation. The campaign launched against the canonization and the Assembly have frightened official bishops and gestures of reconciliation you are almost sold out.

The Assembly would then have to be convened in 2009, and maybe even a few years earlier, given that in 2005 died Msgr. Liu Yuanren, and in 2007 Mgr. Fu Tieshan. But the Letter of Benedict XVI to Chinese Catholics has displaced the Chinese government, while now more than 90% of the bishops he had reconciled with the pope and worked - sometimes so tired - the reconciliation between official and underground. These germs of unity have slowed the Assembly convocation, which has been delayed until the end of 2010, often forcing the police force the bishops to participate.

To humiliate the bishops and divide communities, in addition to the House, Sara (or more precisely the PA), he used the instrument of illicit ordinations without papal mandate: in 2000, in 2006 (with the ordination of Ma Yinglin , the current president of the PA), in 2010-2011, before and after the Assembly.

Also in this period they are using the same methods: orders with obligatory participation of bishops excommunicated ( Chengdu and Xichang ) and issue the Assembly in late December. Also on this violation of the sanctity of the sacrament, the Vatican has been silent.

The party split

Since 2000, all these attempts have another purpose: to make more difficult the relationship between China and the Vatican blowing up of cases of conflict until the break. Since 1999, the Holy See and China are trying to talk with approaches, meetings, exchanges of views, but on time something happens that forces the partners to separate. Still, in all these years, the responsibility for the failure falls on the AP (linked to the United Front and Sara). All this is due primarily to the fact that in a future agreement between China and the Holy See will be discussed the PA function and its control over the Church: although not an ecclesial association, it intrudes into the life of the Church and even you places itself above the bishops.

The second reason for this attitude is due to internal reasons: it is increasingly apparent a rift between the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The first clearly see a more relaxed relationship with the Vatican, which would allow China to have a more dignified status and acceptable in the international community; others see the Vatican and its demand for freedom as a threat to their power.

A source in Beijing Party has told AsiaNews that the presence of excommunicated Bishop Lei Shiyin in Chengdu and Xichang was wanted right from Sara and the United Front and not by the foreign ministry, which has been silent with embarrassment.

But the Vatican has remained silent, leaving the faithful and believing Christians around the world that now the celebrations with illicit bishops are something obvious and religious freedom is no longer "the litmus test of all human rights" (John Paul II ), but a superfluous goods that you can do without in order to save a faint hope in diplomatic relations.

For all this, the official and underground Catholics are appealing to the pope for an authoritative judgment on the assembly and orders involving illicit bishops with the police force.

But it is important that the whole universal Church urging the Chinese authorities to respect the dignity and religious rights of its citizens, without forcing them to participate in rallies and do things against their conscience.

[ebb tide]

The above is a google translation.