Does having "....the characteristic of being in schism...." the same as being in schism?
From your singularly unique frame of mind, please explain how a body of communist atheists, "....in schism...." are invited by the Vatican to take part in the Synod of Bishops for Asia . VATICAN CITY, APR 28 (ZENIT) - Chinese officials have formally refused to grant passports to the two bishops that JP2 invited to participate in the Special Assembly for Asia of the Synod of Bishops. Bishops Matthias Duan Yiming and Joseph Xu Zhixuan....have the support of the Chinese [Catholic] Patriotic Church, which is controlled by the Communist Party.
http://www.zenit.org/english/asia/za980420.htmlThe Holy Father said that he had invited, in addition to the bishops of the diocese of Hong Kong, two other bishops from mainland China, Matthias Duan Yinming and Joseph Xu Zhixuan, coadjutors of the diocese of Wanhsien. Duan Yinming, along with Cardinal Ignatius Gong Pin-Mei, who lives in the U.S., is the last bishop named by Pope Pius XII, before the rupture between China and the Vatican in 1951. Although a member of the Patriotic Church, he is highly respected by the clandestine Catholic church, faithful to Rome. Through this gesture, the Pope has guaranteed the presence of bishops from mainland China, since those who belong to the clandestine church would never have been allowed by the communist authorities to travel to Rome for the Synod. His auxiliary bishop, Joseph Xu Zhixuan, was named and consecrated by Duan Yinming himself and is also highly esteemed by members of both churches.
Members of schismatic churches were also invited to observe at Vatican II, and Bl. Pius IX invited the Orthodox to participate at the Vatican I Council - that does not mean that the Lutherans, Orthodox, etc. are no longer schismatic. Attendance at the Synod might have helped convert them to the Catholic religion.
PS: I agree with the position of the Cardinal Kung Foundation on what "the Vatican"'s position is. How can that be a "singularly unique frame of mind"? Perhaps you should direct your flames towards them - as for myself, I think they would know more about the situation than either you or me.
You're forgetting that schism no longer means schism. The Orthodox are no longer schismatics according to the new thought-speak. We've got various levels of "communion" nowadays.
I saw Fr. Shannon Collins on EWTN trying to describe the dogma of EENS as "little lifeboats hanging alongside the barque of Peter" It was a pathetic attempt to reformulate the doctrine in order to deal with the contradictory conclusions that must be drawn.
Drolesky is right in his analysis about the Chinese invading the Church, "Communion" partial or otherwise is another word for "infiltration" and "corruption"
And we will always get the Vatican two-step between language and actions while the weak, the hopelessly confused and the wicked are running things to paraphrase bishop Williamson.