China and the Vatican

China and the Vatican

Chinese Bishop Kept From Vatican Meeting, though Vatican continues Great Leap Forward 
  Tue Oct 18/2005



VATICAN CITY - Oct 18/05 - AP - A Chinese bishop prevented by his government from attending a Vatican meeting said in a message to his fellow bishops that he hoped diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Beijing could be re-established, officials said Tuesday. 


Bishop Lucas Li Jingfeng of Fengxiang sent a message of greetings to the Synod of Bishops, the Oct. 2-23 meeting of the world's bishops, that was read aloud Tuesday in the synod hall by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican's secretary of state.

In the short message written in Latin, the bishop said he was sorry he could not attend the meeting and expressed hope that the Vatican and China could re-establish diplomatic relations, said the Rev. John Bartunek, a synod spokesman.

Pope Benedict XVI invited four mainland Chinese bishops to attend the synod — part of his efforts to reach out to China and bring its 12 million Catholics under Rome's wing. The government allowed none to come.

China forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in government-controlled churches, which recognize the pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops.

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Underground, official Catholics need to unify

More than at any time in recent decades, the situation is ripe for mutual recognition of the Holy See and the People's Republic of China. For the past several months, news coming from China seems to confirm that this move is coming.

News that China is ordaining new bishops despite Vatican opposition may delay things, but it will not change the underlying reality (see related stow, page 12).

Under attack for human rights violations, China would gain considerably from the Vatican recognition. From the Vatican's point of view, normalization would mean that within China a new unity between the government-recognized and the underground Catholic communities would finally be possible, openly and officially promoted by the church.

Why would this breakthrough happen now ? 

For years China showed little interest in opening talks with the Holy See. However, it has quietly been preparing for recognition by studying the problems of religious freedom and relations between religion and state in other countries. The policy-making and advisory bodies of the Communist Party and of the state have been meeting with experts to work out new policies.

By recognizing the Holy See, China can take away Taiwan's last embassy in Europe (except Macedonia). If, in addition, it can gain more international recognition in the fields of human rights and religious freedom, then it becomes worthwhile.

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