So, 'the Communist party holds that the Catholic Church inside China
must be subservient to the state'. Looks like those 'zionists' don't want to risk
exposure from the competition in China, since they've designated China as their
new 'homeland".
See: Danny Steinberg http://www.erichufschmid.net/Danny-Steinberg.html • On how Jews are preparing to escape
from America, now that America is disintegrating, and how they are manipulating
the Chinese [Danny Steinberg
explains zionist intent]:
'International Jewry
has designated China as our next homeland.'
Jonathan Manthorpe: Pope
Francis unlikely to mend China-Vatican relations
Beijing and the Catholic
Church haven’t had diplomatic relations since 1951
By Jonathan
Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun columnist -
Worshippers pray near the Sheshan seminary on the outskirts of
Shanghai, China. Shanghai’s would-be Catholic bishop has been a virtual
prisoner in the city’s main seminary for nine months, his price for openly
challenging China’s ruling Communist Party by withdrawing from the country’s
official bodies that oversee the church. Photograph by: Eugene Hoshiko , AP
The Vatican and China’s ruling Communist party have been at each
others throats for over 60 years and the election of Francis to the papacy is
unlikely to fundamentally improve the relationship.
At issue since the Communists cut diplomatic relations with Rome
in 1951 by expelling the papal nuncio are conflicting views of how the Catholic
Church should operate in China.
The Communist party holds that the Catholic Church inside China
must be subservient to the state. All appointments, such as the selection of
bishops, must be approved, says Beijing, by its government-managed umbrella
organizations, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) and the
Chinese Bishops’ Conference.
The Vatican does not recognize the legitimacy of either of these
organizations and insists only Rome can appoint bishops or other Roman Catholic
clerics in China.
There are other irritants, too.
The Vatican retains diplomatic relations with the independent
island nation of Taiwan, which Beijing claims to own.
And the Vatican insists the Pope’s pastoral letters should be read
in all Catholic churches in China, not censored by the Beijing authorities.
The result is that China’s estimated 12 million Catholics live in
the almost constant turmoil of a battle of wills between Beijing and Rome.
This has also left the Catholic community divided between those
who attend “legal” churches approved by the Communist party and those who are
members of congregations that accept the ultimate authority of Rome.
During the papacy of John Paul II in the 1980s and 1990s, an
accommodation was reached between Beijing and Rome whereby there was prior
agreement on candidates for promotion to bishop.
But that accord has steadily shattered because Beijing will not
permit independent-minded bishops or those who refuse to accept the ultimate
authority of the Chinese state to remain in office.
In the past few years, the Vatican has excommunicated several of
these bishops appointed by the Communist party organizations, but who Rome felt
were unfit for office.
For its part, the Communist party has responded with its usual
heavy handedness when challenged by Catholics loyal to Rome.
The case last July of the Rev. Thaddeus Ma Daqin is one that
caused much outrage among Catholics and which makes any quick rapprochement between
Beijing and Rome unlikely.
The story started well enough with the Vatican and Beijing
agreeing to the promotion of Ma to the position of auxiliary bishop of
Shanghai.
This put Ma in line to succeed 95-year-old Bishop Aloysius Jin
Luxian, who is recognized by the Chinese government organizations, but not by
Rome, which considers the “underground” church’s Giuseppe Fan Zhongliang to be
the true Bishop of Shanghai.
But with agreement between Beijing and the Vatican over the
appointment of Ma there was hope that he might heal the rifts in Shanghai
between the “legal” church and the “underground” Catholics loyal to Rome.
But after his consecration, Ma stunned the congregation at
Shanghai’s Cathedral of St. Ignatius by announcing that he would no longer work
for the government’s CPCA.
“In the light of the teaching of our mother church, as I now serve
as a bishop, I should focus on pastoral work and evangelization,” Ma said.
Beijing’s revenge for this disloyalty was swift.
Ma was detained immediately and placed in solitary confinement in
a seminary at Sheshan on the outskirts of Shanghai.
In December, the Chinese Bishops’ Conference and the CPCA
announced Ma had been dismissed from his post. But in the eyes of the
underground Catholics in Shanghai, Ma remains their auxiliary bishop.
A favourite tactic of the Chinese authorities when they want to
appoint a bishop not approved by Rome is to force bishops consecrated by the
Vatican to attend the service. Beijing’s hope is this will give its choice for
bishop some legitimacy in the eyes of the local Catholics and the world.
This is what happened when Beijing-approved Joseph Huang Bingzhang
was consecrated as Bishop of Shantou in Guangdong province in 2011.
Local reports say a dissident bishop loyal to Rome was “seen
sobbing as he was dragged from home” to attend the service.
Huang was excommunicated by the Vatican soon after, but he remains
in Shantou and has even been appointed to parliament, the National People’s
Congress.
Bishops loyal to Rome are also reported to have been forced to
participate in the service to consecrate Joseph Yue Fusheng as Bishop of Harbin
last July. Yue’s appointment was not approved by the Vatican and he has been
excommunicated.
Since the 16th century, Popes have occasionally appointed secret
cardinals, the princes of the church. The idea is to protect the identity of
cardinals living and working under repressive regimes.
John Paul II appointed four secret cardinals and the identity of
all but one of those has now been revealed.
There remains speculation that Rome’s remaining secret cardinal is
in China.
jmanthorpe@vancouversun. com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
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