Pope Benedict leads the way on China
Belgium (UCAN) - An expert on the Catholic Church in China says that the pastoral letter Pope Benedict XVI issued to the Catholic Church in China on June 30, 2007 has opened a new page of Church history on the mainland of China. Fr Jerome Heyndrickx the director of Ferdinand Verblest Institute at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium applauds the letter for clearly answering important pastoral questions that have long perplexed mainland Catholics.
The pastoral letter of Pope Benedict XVI is remarkable and historic for its content and style. The Pope speaks like a father to the Chinese Catholics and with respect to Chinese authorities while putting forward clear principles to both of them.
Fr Heyndrickx understands the meaning of the Pope's letter as follows:
There is only one Chinese Catholic Church and it is faithful to the Holy See. Bishops and priests of both communities may concelebrate but the Pope encourages them first to express among themselves their unity by a profession of faith. For the Church to live underground is not a normal situation. There is at present no longer any reason to keep an underground Church community going in China. The Pope therefore, revokes all privileges that were conferred to China's underground community in the past. Chinese faithful may also take part in the Eucharist of priests of the official Church community.
There was uncertainty because some outside China called for confrontation with the authorities as well as for last year's illicit Episcopal ordinations at which Chinese bishops recognised by Rome had been forced to participate. Everyone wondered if the Pope's letter would threaten to apply canonical sanctions for illicit ordinations or if the letter would be a friendly, though urgent call for unity and dialogue?
The large majority of Catholics in remote places in China's countryside had other concerns. The vital question for them has existed for decades: yes or no, may we participate in the Eucharistic celebration of the ‘open' (official) Church communities? Do we commit a mortal sin if we do, as we were taught?
So much confusion has been caused by what was said, preached and written about these questions that only the highest Church authority could give a clear answer. This is what happened in the pastoral letter. The Pope says there: only one Catholic Church exists in China; let Chinese Catholics peacefully celebrate the Eucharist together.
But there is more to the letter. The Pope admonishes the official bishops appointed by the Holy See to make their appointments public. The Pope doesn't speak a warning language to bishops ordained without papal appointment but he does ask them to clarify their relation to the Successor of Peter now. Underground bishops are encouraged to apply for recognition by civil authorities.
The pastoral letter touched upon an extremely delicate point related to Church-State relations; it suggests that the present statutes of the Chinese Bishops' Conference still need to be amended. In the present situation one entity "desired by the State," apparently referring to the Patriotic Association, stands above the bishops and makes important pastoral decisions, some even related to the appointment of bishops. In doing so, it in facts directs the Church. This situation takes away the pastoral authority from the bishops which is against Catholic teaching. " Only a legitimate Episcopal conference can formulate pastoral guidelines, valid for the entire Catholic community of the country concerned."
The Pope pleads for the principle of separation of Church and State, a relation in charity and truth to be realised through open dialogue. However he introduces some points that, form the side of the Church are not discussable.
The proposal to set up a Church independent from the Holy See is incompatible with Catholic doctrine. The principle that bishops must be appointed by the Successor of Peter is crucial for the Church since only appointments by the Pope assure the unity of the Church and the apostolic succession of bishops. These appointments have no political character at all. The Pope refers to internationally accepted documents that state the appointment of Catholic bishops by the Pope is part of true freedom of religion.
This pastoral letter is undoubtedly the most important and historical document ever written by Rome to the Chinese Church.
The key words are: reconciliation, unity and dialogue. Nowhere in this letter does the Pope call for confrontation. Marked by reconciliation and unity inside the Church and dialogue with civil authorities on the basis of equality and mutual respect, it initiates a new phase in Chinese Catholic Church history.
Cardinal Zen Ze-kuin, Bishop of Hong Kong gives his own comments on the Pope's letter.
"THE letter of the Pope is very important for the clergy in China" said Cardinal Zen Ze-kuin. The bishop of Hong Kong explained that government control over ecclesial matters is strengthened because the hierarchy in China is monitored whenever they sit down to talk.
He said that because "the so-called bishops' conference only meets when the government calls it for a meeting, chaired by the government" it removes much effective control from legitimate Church leaders and, apart from the natural difficulties created for normal ecclesial life, it also makes international financial support for Church projects on the mainland problematic.
The bishop said the greatest advantage of the June 30 letter addressed to the Catholics of China from Pope Benedict XVI is its accessibility, as it gives a starting point for the bishops and priests to talk with government authorities who also have a copy.
Bishop Zen said the Pope's letter had been well received in both Taiwan and Hong Kong. "I met with Cardinal Paul Shan and he is very happy, we admire the balance between a passion for truth and the loving kindness of the Holy Father."
The bishop thinks that the Vice-President of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) Anthony Liu Bainian is the biggest block to dialogue between bishops and the government as he is "in the middle." Bishop Zen said that because Liu "speaks in the name of the Church" without representing it, the true representatives, the bishops, have no voice. However the bishop hopes that the papal letter will give the mainland bishops a basis to access the real national leaders for discussion.
