Pope Benedict XVI Opens a Bright Horizon to Catholics in
China
Jean Pierre Charbonnier, MEP
We should be very grateful to Pope Benedict
XVI for his wonderful letter to the Catholics in China.
It is enlightening to Catholics, stating that they are
one Church whatever their choice of staying in the
underground or being officially recognized by the
authorities. All are called to reconcile on the basis of
their common faith to Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
It is also enlightening with regards to
relations to the Chinese people and to civil
authorities. State and Church serve the people on two
different levels:?the State as a political power, the
Church as a religious body contributing?a spiritual
force to the believers and encouraging them to act as
good citizens.?There is no conflict between the two
powers. On the contrary, there is an appeal for
cooperation in the service of the same human beings.
Church – State Cooperation
The first part of the letter opens a bright
horizon for the growth of China and of the Church in the
third millennium. It is written in the spirit of the 4th
constitution of the 2nd Vatican Council Gaudium et Spes,
“Joy and Hope” (The Church in the Modern World). Fully
appreciating the resources of Chinese civilization, the
Pope also takes into account the socio-economic
progress, which has been achieved by China during the
past decades.
As I turn my attention towards your
People, which has distinguished itself among the
other peoples of Asia for the splendour of its
ancient civilization, with all its experience of
wisdom, philosophy, art and science, I am
pleased to note how, especially in recent times,
it has also moved decisively towards achieving
significant goals of socio-economic progress,
attracting the interest of the entire world.
He opens a new horizon by suggesting the
important part, which China can play in the process of a
meaningful globalization. He explains in which way the
Church can contribute to the efforts of the country
towards building a peaceful world:
As my venerable predecessor Pope John
Paul II once said, ‘The Catholic Church for her
part regards with respect this impressive thrust
and far-sighted planning, and with discretion
offers her own contribution in the promotion and
defence of the human person, and of the person’s
values, spirituality and transcendent vocation.
The Church has very much at heart the values and
objectives which are of primary importance also
to modern China: solidarity, peace, social
justice, the wise management of the phenomenon
of globalization.’
Comparing their faith with other
spiritual traditions, Catholics should express what is
more specific in Christianity. It is a Faith in the
person of Jesus Christ the Saviour. This means
acknowledgement of our human limits in relation to a God
creator, the source of life. It means also recognition
of human weakness due to pride and selfishness, which
destroys our harmony with God. Men can be liberated and
gain a new life through faith in the mercy of God
manifested in history through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the Son of God. But faith has to be proved in acts of
love. To be true witnesses of their faith Catholics have
to love one another and forgive those who have offended
them.
Reconciliation among Catholics
The Pope therefore urges Catholics to
reconcile among themselves and overcome the long split
between those who have chosen to worship openly, due to
some compromise with the government’s requirement of
independence (dishang) and those who, out of loyalty to
the Church (dixia), refuse the official stand imposed by
the Patriotic Association. This division due to
political pressure, thanks be to God, has not provoked a
real change in the faith of Chinese Catholics. All have
found ways to keep in touch with the Universal Church,
to put into practice the orientations given by the 2nd
Vatican Council, and to express their loyalty to the
Pope, head of the Church. Conscious of the sufferings
endured by all, Pope Benedict urges Catholics to
reconcile. Official bishops have to announce more
clearly the secret recognition they have obtained from
the Pope. Underground bishops should attempt to obtain
recognition by the government. All Catholics should
reconstruct their communities around the same Eucharist,
knowing that they can receive communion and the
sacraments in the open churches. Former permissions,
such as the 1988 directives, are now revoked. Faculties
for the nomination of bishops granted in a time of more
severe persecution are now no longer to be used.
This call to unity by the Pope is not
without risk. The government may take advantage of this
to increase its control over all Catholics. From the
part of those who have suffered more, it will require
enormous effort to come out into the open, and
fraternize with people who have offended them. Prudence
will be needed. The Pope leaves each bishop to decide
according to the local circumstances. The whole Church
knows how the sacrifice of the underground Catholics
permitted the survival of a Chinese Church fully loyal
and united to the universal Church.
Autonomy of the Church in its own
religious field
United in their common witness to the values
of the Gospel, Catholics still need some freedom to
express their views and promote justice, truth, love and
freedom. Their prophetic mission may be cruelly
countered by corrupt authorities. Many journalists,
lawyers, and internet users have fallen victim in their
fight for justice and truth. But if the government
really wishes to check corruption and create a
harmonious society, the Church should not be considered
as a rival power.
The Pope therefore asks for the
independence of the Church in religious matters. He
stresses the religious nature of the Church and its
hierarchical structure: the Church is “apostolic”,
governed from the beginning by the apostles and their
successors, the bishops united with the Holy See. As
successor of Peter, the Pope has the mission to
guarantee the unity of the Church and the integrity of
the Faith. He is the one who should appoint bishops. But
since a bishop has some authority in moral and social
matters, the government may be consulted in the choice
of candidates to the episcopacy. On the other hand, the
government should not interfere in religious matters as
the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association has done for
the past 50 years.
The present Chinese bishops Conference
has no legal status in the Church as it excludes
unofficial bishops and integrates bishops who have not
been approved by the Holy See.
Pastoral orientations for a better
Church life
The second part of the letter gives pastoral
advice to bishops, priests, religious and lay people.
Bishops should manage their dioceses with the help of
commissions recommended by Canon law. “Rules for the
management of dioceses” have in fact been officially
approved by the Chinese bishops in 2003. But this
document was published in association with two other
texts, which granted too much power to the Chinese
Catholic Patriotic Association. This overshadowed what
was good in the rules for the sound management of
dioceses. In fact many bishops still lack an efficient
secretariat. They need reliable financial commissions.
Money can easily been wasted by priests themselves for
the benefit of their families or in unnecessary
construction. The CCPA may also use Church money for its
own benefit, while Sisters are often left with a minimum
amount for food and lodging.?
Priests have been exposed to many
difficulties. Those who have gone astray should seize
opportunities such as the Holy Thursday celebration to
reconcile with the community. ?
“My dear priests! You who bear “the
burden of the day and the scorching heat” (Mt
20:12), who have put your hand to the plough and
do not look back (cf. Lk 9:62): think of those
places where the faithful are waiting anxiously
for a priest and where for many years, feeling
the lack of a priest, they have not ceased to
pray for one to arrive.”
Priestly and religious vocations have
flourished over the past 2 or 3 decades. But many of
these young people did not receive proper guidance. Some
lacked a basic understanding of the spiritual meaning of
their commitment:?
“The need therefore emerges both for
more careful vocational discernment on the part
of Church leaders, and for more in-depth
education and instruction of aspirants to the
priesthood and religious life. Notwithstanding
the precariousness of the means available, for
the future of the Church in China it will be
necessary to take steps to ensure, on the one
hand, particular attention in the care of
vocations and, on the other hand, a more solid
formation with regard to the human, spiritual,
philosophical-theological and pastoral aspects,
to be carried out in seminaries and religious
institutes.”
To lay people, the Pope recommends finding
ways to overcome the difficulties affecting family life
in modern society. Knowing that family education is
deeply rooted in the Asian tradition, he wants Chinese
families to be a school of love. He also wants the faith
to be transmitted to catechumens as a way of life, and
not as an intellectual exercise of learning the
catechism, or as a simple ritual of reciting prayers.
Finally he invites all Chinese Catholics to fulfil their
mission of spreading the Gospel among the population.
Every issue raised in the second part of the letter is
related to concrete problems. Pope Benedict speaks as
the Pastor of the universal Church.
Catholics throughout the world should
pray for China on the 24th of May every year
Pope Benedict knows that for his daring
letter to produce any fruit, the Holy Spirit has to blow
a powerful wind of change. With this grace from above,
his letter can become the spark which will set fire to
the plain. The universal Church is invited to pray for
China on the 24th of May, pilgrimage day to Mary Help of
Christians on the hill of Sheshan in Shanghai. Why
Shanghai? The Pope could have chosen Donglü in the
province of Hebei, a well known pilgrimage site to the
Holy Mother of China. But the Chinese authorities might
have seen this choice as a provocation. Access to the
pilgrimage site at Donglü has been restricted for the
past few years, as it was a huge gathering place for
underground Catholics hostile to the Patriotic
Association. A call for prayer to the universal Church
should lead to concrete international participation.
From this point of view, the Sheshan pilgrimage site may
be more suitable than Donglü. The basilica can be
reached within an hour from central Shanghai. Mary, Help
of Christians, is the mother who can unite all the
children of the family of God in China.
Signed on the Feast of Pentecost, the
Pope's letter is a real gift of the Spirit. The choice
of the 30th of June to publicize it may suggest another
meaning. This date is the feast day of the first martyrs
of Rome, a day after the feast of the apostles and
martyrs, Peter and Paul. The blood of these first
martyrs was the seed of many Christians. After three
centuries of recurring persecutions the whole Roman
Empire accepted the Gospel of Christ. Christians in
China have known persecution for over three centuries.
The time may have come for a wonderful harvest.
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