There is a story in the Book of St. John, Chapter 9 about a blind
man. Our Lord Jesus performed a miracle on him by restoring his
sight. The message was not that he was blinded in punishment for
his sins, but rather in his miraculous cure the glory of God
might be manifested in him.
The persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in China is akin to
this story of the blind man.
Similar to the story, this persecution is not a punishment for
the Roman Catholic Church in China. Rather, in the underground
church's miraculous survival, God's power might be seen at work
in the Church in China.
The Chinese government tried very hard in the early 1950's to
break down the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. But, it
failed. As a result, the government created its own religious
organization called the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
While we pray for the eventual true unity of the Patriotic
Association with the mother Church, let us not lose sight of the
fact that the Patriotic Association in the present form is not
the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
CHAPTER I
What Is The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association?
1) Patriotic Association's Goals and Its Ramifications
Bishop Andrew Tsien, Bishop of Hualian, Taiwan, explained that
the objectives of the Patriotic Association are:
Short term: To substitute it for the true Roman Catholic
church.
Long term: To eliminate religion in order to achieve a pure
materialistic and autocratic society.
In his remark on the pastoral letter on women issued by the
Patriotic Association's Bishops Conference, Rev. Matthias Lu,
Ph.D., S.TH.L., Director of the St. Thomas Aquinas Center in
California, wrote:
"Its (the Patriotic Association's) commitment is to
manipulate the mass of the Catholic population in order to
integrate them into the Socialist revolutionary movement by
submitting them to the leadership of the Communist Party in all
things."
To accomplish this goal over the past 45 years, the Chinese
government put tens of thousands of Roman Catholic faithful in
jail for 10, 20, 30 or more years. Thousands perished in jail.
Many were shot in public. All foreign missionaries were banished.
As you are painfully aware, this persecution continues even
today.
Like the blind man, the Roman Catholic Church in China suffered.
History teaches us that from suffering good often eventually
emerges. We believe that because God is on our side and because
the Catholic faith in China has been so firmly and deeply rooted,
the suffering endured since 1949 has not weaken the Roman
Catholic population in China, but has increased it from three
million faithful then to over eight million now. This is clearly
the work of God.
In view of the above statistics, the objective of replacing the
Roman Catholic Church with the Patriotic Association has clearly
failed so far.
2. The Persecution Before the Patriotic Association's
Creation
The Communists took power in 1949. By 1953, many Chinese priests
and lay persons were arrested and dying in jail. Bishop Kung, now
a Cardinal, was appointed a bishop by the Holy Father in 1949
after the Communists took power in China. He was repeatedly asked
by the government to lend his respectability to the Patriotic
Association movement by denouncing the Holy Father. His reply was
simple.
"I am a Roman Catholic bishop. If I denounce the Holy
Father, not only would I not be a bishop, I would not even be a
Catholic. You can cut off my head, but you can never take away my
duties."
Bishop Kung, together with several hundred Catholic leaders and
priests, were arrested simultaneously on September 8, 1955.
Elsewhere, prelates together with their religious and faithful
were arrested en masse. For instance, the late Archbishop Dominic
Tang, Archbishop of Canton (now called Guangzhou), was imprisoned
for 22 years until he became seriously ill with cancer and needed
an operation. The late Bishop Peter Joseph Fan, Bishop of Baoding
in the province of Hebei, was imprisoned for 34 years, was
tortured and died in prison. The list of martyrs is long.
The redemptive value of their sufferings and the resultant
benefits to the universal church must be enormous.
3. The Creation of The Patriotic Association And Its
Aftermath
The Beginning of The Underground Roman Catholic Church
In 1957, the Patriotic Association was officially established by
an atheistic Chinese communist government. In contrast to the
Patriotic Association, the true Catholic church was created by
Christ almost 2000 years ago. The good news was brought to China
by missionaries about 700 years ago.
As soon as the Patriotic Association was established, all
properties of the Roman Catholic Church were confiscated. Later,
as China opened up, many of the churches and other properties
were transferred to the Patriotic Association, keeping the loyal
Roman Catholic church penniless.
Foreign Catholic visitors to China often visit these reopened
churches. These churches look Catholic. The priests dress like
Catholic priests. Even their prayers sound Catholic. But they are
not Catholic. They all belong to the Patriotic Association.
Rev. Matthias Lu, Ph.D., S.TH.L. made the following comment on
the Patriotic Association's Bishops Conference pastoral letter:
"Whatever the CCPA (Chinese Catholic Patriotic
Association) does under a religious guise can never be truly
religious. It is a show put on to mislead...It is not a part of
the Body of Christ...The sweeter and holier its prayers and
preaching sound, the more deceitful they are."
Behind the seemingly serene and pious scenes in these churches
are the continuous suppression, often brutal persecution, of the
eight million Roman Catholics loyal to the Pope. They are known
as the underground Roman Catholics.
4. The Roman Catholic Church's Position on the
Patriotic Association.
It Is Not Catholic. It Is Uncanonical.
4a. Patriotic Association Is Not Catholic: The most
important tenet in the constitution of the Patriotic Association
is its autonomy from the Pope. It does not recognize the supreme
administrative, legislative and judicial authority of the Pope
regardless of the fact that its members publicly professed their
"loyalty" to His Holiness. This autonomy is the
fundamental divergence of theology between the Patriotic
Association and the Roman Catholic Church.
Theology 101 teaches us clearly that no one can possibly claim
communion with the Pope and with the universal church while
simultaneously denying the administrative, legislative, and
judicial authority of the Roman Pontiff. Inasmuch as the
Patriotic Association refuses to recognize the Pope's authority
as stated in their constitution, it could not possibly be in
communion with the Pope. Without such communion, the Patriotic
Association could not possibly be a Roman Catholic institution.
About three years before the establishment of the Patriotic
Association, His Holiness Pius XII wrote with great foresight on
the subject of autonomy in his encyclical "Ad Sinarum
Gentem" October 1954:
"...It is absolutely necessary that the Christian
community in your land (China), if it wishes to be part of the
society divinely established by Our Redeemer, be subject in all
things to the Sovereign Pontiff, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on
earth...This movement (autonomy) seeks... either to deceive the
simple and timid, or to turn them aside from the right path...But
in fact, to come to the point, they are striving by every means
in their power to establish among you a 'national' Church...this
church (the Patriotic Association), if it should come into being,
would no longer be Catholic, since it would be the negation of
that universality, or 'catholicity', which makes the true society
founded by Jesus Christ above all Nations, and able to embrace
all and each one.
Thirty-four years later in 1988, the Holy See issued an advisory
to the world's bishops that those who do not profess or do
not preserve the communion with the Pope cannot consider
themselves to be Catholic.
This position was repeated in a letter to the Chinese faithful in
September, 1994 by Pope John Paul II. Most recently, the Pope
stated again during the World Youth Day celebrations in Manila in
January 1995
"A Catholic who wishes to remain such and to be
recognized as such cannot reject the principle of communion with
the successor of Peter."
Pope John Paul II clearly referred to the Patriotic Association.
In essence, His Holiness said that as long as the Patriotic
Association denies the supreme administrative, legislative, and
judicial authority of the Holy Father, it cannot be considered a
Roman Catholic Church.
In December, 1994, the underground bishops' conference in China
issued a pastoral letter. In it, the loyal bishops called the
world's attention to the fact that the Patriotic Association is
not a Catholic Church. The clergy of the universal Church was
advised not to participate in sacramental communion with the
Patriotic Association clergy.
The Popes have spoken. The loyal bishops of China have
articulated it. They have all said that the Patriotic Association
is not the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, because they
do not recognize the supreme authority of the Roman Pontiff and
are not in communion with Him. This is the most important
characteristic of the Patriotic Association.
4B The Patriotic Association Is Uncanonical
Canon Law Section 751 states:
"..Schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman
Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to
him."
We have discussed repeatedly that the Patriotic Association
refused its submission to the Roman Pontiff by not recognizing
the three supreme authorities of His Holiness. The above Canon
Law speaks amply for the Patriotic Association.
5. Organization Structure of the Patriotic Association
The Patriotic Association reports to the National Congress of
Catholic Representatives while the loyal Catholic Church in China
reports to the Pope, the successor of St. Peter.
In an attempt to cover its political agenda and to make it appear
like a religious organization, the Patriotic Association
established in 1980 "The Chinese Bishop's Conference"
and "The Chinese Catholic Religious Affairs
Commission".
In 1992, the above three organizations were combined into the
"China Catholic Bishops' College" and "The Chinese
Catholic Patriotic Association". They both report to the
"National Congress".
The chain of Command in the Patriotic Association is akin to the
following structure:
1) The faithful listen to the priest.
2) The priests obey their bishop.
3) The bishops answer to the "National Congress".
Then, to whom would the "National Congress" report? Who
gives such authority to the "National Congress"?
Commenting on the above reporting relationship of the Patriotic
Association, the loyal Roman Catholic bishops said in their
pastoral letter issued in December 1994:
"Christ has never so taught. None of the Catholic
theologians have ever so taught. The history of the Catholic
Church has never so taught. The 'authority' of the 'National
Congress' must be an unprecedented, great discovery of China's
'wise man' "
6. The Advantage of Using "Catholic" by the
Patriotic Association
During the reorganization of the Patriotic Association, a subtle
but important change took place. In 1989, "The Chinese
Bishop's Conference" was without the word
"Catholic". Therefore, when the Patriotic Association
bishops traveled outside of China, they had to identify
themselves as the bishops from the Patriotic Association which
does not have the desirable marketing effect. Rather, their
identification with the Patriotic Association placed many people
on guard. Most people hesitated to work with a Communist church.
However, after the Patriotic Association adopted the new title of
the "China Catholic Bishops' College" in 1992, its
efforts improved significantly. They took full advantage of this
word "Catholic". Patriotic Association members now
introduced themselves as Catholic priests or Catholic bishops
without ever having to disclose that they are members of the
Patriotic Association with no ties to the Vatican.
This deceptive change in terminology produced predictable
results. Since then, numerous articles have appeared in the
media, including diocesan newspapers, about the "Catholic
Church in China". These articles were, in fact, describing
the Patriotic Association Church without even mentioning it by
name. Patriotic Association priests and bishops, masquerading as
bona fide Catholic clerics, traveled around the world and
solicited donations. According to 30 DAYS, misinformed Catholic
institutions donated $4.7 million while the underground loyal
bishops were left with nothing. Because the loyal bishops are not
allowed to travel outside of China and their freedom of
expression is prohibited within China, they have not been able to
communicate their desperate conditions to you.
In the universal church, all religious organizations working in a
diocese must receive the approval from the Ordinary of that
diocese. However, many missionaries, in recent years, returned to
China and started various charitable projects at the invitation
of and operating under the supervision of the Patriotic
Association and the communist government. They do not work with
the underground loyal bishops. This arrangement is contrary to
the practice in the universal church. Therefore, when you receive
requests from these organizations for donations to the
"Chinese Catholic Church", please determine whether the
solicitor of the gift is seeking funds for projects in
cooperation with the Patriotic Association or for the loyal Roman
Catholic Church.
7. Patriotic Association's Fidelity, Loyalty and
Allegiance to the Pope
In order to receive millions of dollars of donations from Roman
Catholic institutions, the Patriotic Association's bishops must
convince their overseas benefactors of their fidelity to the
Roman Catholic Church. To do so, the Patriotic Association
bishops such as Zong Huaide, Jin Luxian, Fu Teshan and others
never fail to proclaim their "loyalty" to the Pope
"IN THEIR HEARTS". The benefactors, however, were not
made aware that these bishops are also officers of the Patriotic
Association and officers of the "China Catholic Bishops
college". As such, they have the fundamental duty to defend
the current constitution of these two organizations. The most
important tenet of these two constitutions is the autonomy of the
Patriotic Association from the Pope!
The Patriotic Association operates independently of the Holy See.
Its bishops and priests do not recognize the supreme jurisdiction
of the Pope. They are neither in communion with the Pope, nor are
they in communion with the universal church. Openly they profess
loyalty, but their actions speak louder than words. For example,
when His Holiness announced in 1981 the elevation of Bishop
Dominic Tang, S.J. to Archbishop, the Patriotic Bishop of Canton
and other Patriotic Association bishops denounced the Holy Father
and Archbishop Tang. History repeats itself ten years later. In
1991, Holy Father announced the elevation of Bishop Kung to the
College of Cardinals. Patriotic Bishop Jin of Shanghai, together
with other Patriotic Association Bishops, strongly protested and
publicly accused the Holy Father of meddling in the internal
affairs of China and thereby splitting the Catholic Church in
China. They further accused Cardinal Kung of sinning against the
Church and the country. Such belligerence exemplifies the true
face of these Patriotic Association bishops.
Since the Patriotic Association bishops report directly to the
Communist government, Roman Catholic bishops elsewhere in the
world friendly to these Patriotic Association bishops should ask
them of the steps being taken to persuade their government that
the ongoing persecution of faithful bishops, priests and lay
persons of the Roman Catholic Church is evil and a gross
violation of human rights. Surely, the Patriotic Association must
realize that this terrible persecution in China is causing much
grief to the Holy Father. If they are truly loyal to the Holy
Father, as they profess to be, the world is waiting to hear what
practical steps the Patriotic Association bishops are taking to
redress the evil which many faithful Roman Catholics in China are
suffering.
8. Middle of the Roaders
Many of our Chinese brothers and sisters, who, unfortunately, in
the face of adversity, have weakened and wavered in their
Catholic faith, chose to deny the supremacy of the Holy Father
and followed the Patriotic Association. They may attend the rites
of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, but are not
necessarily staunch Patriotic Association members. They recognize
the Holy Father as the supreme authority of the Church in the
heart, but lack the courage to declare it. Due to fear, physical
security, financial advantage, educational and career
opportunities, privilege, or ignorance, they compromised their
faith by accepting the leadership of the Patriotic Association
rather than their Vatican appointed Bishops. They are the
"middle of the roaders".
9. Patriotic Association Priests Administer Sacraments
In The U. S.
A major diocese in the United States had granted faculties to
four Patriotic Association priests. They are allowed to offer
Holy Mass and administer other Sacraments openly. In response to
this disturbing trend, Rev. Matthias Lu said again:
"Its (Patriotic Association's) orders of Priesthood
and Episcopacy can neither be licit nor valid. According to its
corporate nature, it is not a part of the Body of Christ, and,
without Christ, it can do nothing licit or valid. Being contrary
to the intention of Christ and his Church, the CCPA (Chinese
Catholic Patriotic Association) performs sacramental rites in
vain. Its sacraments are null and sacrilegious."
We know that these Patriotic Association priests report directly
to their self-appointed Patriotic Association illegitimate
bishops who had publicly declared many times their autonomy from
the Pope. After these priests complete their studies, they will
return to their Patriotic Association bishops. I wonder how you
would feel if one or more of these Patriotic Association priests
were assigned to your own parish? Moreover, there are
approximately fifty Patriotic Association seminarians and priests
studying in various seminaries in the United States. They are
largely supported by your dioceses; or in another words,
supported by your donations to your dioceses.
There is no doubt that Patriotic Association priests functioning
in a Roman Catholic church in the United States and Patriotic
Association seminarians and priests studying in the United States
seminaries will present an erroneous perception that the Holy
Father accepts the Patriotic Association. In addition, these
actions will cause much confusion in the universal Church and
grave pain to the loyal Chinese Catholics while the Patriotic
Association continues not only to promote their agenda of
independence from the Pope but also to support the evil agenda of
the totalitarian communist regime such as compulsory abortion of
children in families where one child already exists.
10. Appointing and Consecrating the Bishop - A
Contrast
In the universal Roman Catholic Church, the bishop is appointed
by the Supreme Pontiff. Under no circumstances the right of
appointing bishops is conceded to civil authorities. Having been
appointed, the bishop will make the profession of faith and take
the oath of fidelity to the Apostolic see before taking canonical
possession of his office.
In contrast, the Bishops of the Patriotic Association are not
appointed by the Supreme Pontiff. They are nominated, elected and
supervised by the government and the Patriotic Association's
representatives of the Catholics without the approval of the Holy
See. Before assuming office, the new bishop swears to observe the
Constitution. One of the most important tenants of the
Constitution is the principles of autonomy from the Holy See. The
communion with the Roman Pontiff is not mentioned.
These Patriotic Association Bishops support the "one child,
one family" policy of China because they said that they
should comply with the law of the country. Even an unjust law?
11. Cannon Law: Appointment of Bishops Without Holy
See's Approval
As explained above, all Patriotic Association bishops are
appointed and consecrated without the permission of the Pope. In
cannon law jargon, they are consecrated without a pontifical
mandate.
The Code of Canon Law of 1917 and the revised code of 1983,
section 1382 states:
"A bishop who consecrates someone a bishop and the
person who receives such a consecration from a bishop without a
pontificate mandate incur an automatic (latae sententiae)
excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See."
Since all the bishops of the Patriotic Association are ordained
without a "pontifical mandate" and whose consecrations
are "irresponsibly conferred", it does appear that they
are all automatically or ipso facto excommunicated, because the
Apostolic See has not said otherwise.
However, a small number of Patriotic Association bishops have
repented to the Holy Father and have been recognized by the Him.
The names of those bishops are kept strictly in confidence by the
Holy See. Because of this confidentiality, Roman Catholic
organizations who assist and cooperate with the Patriotic
Association bishops all justify their action by claiming that
these bishops are recognized by the Holy See. Patriotic
Association Bishops, in turn, claim that they are one of those
recognized bishops in order to gain credibility in the West.
12. Conclusion
To summarize, below are the five Characteristics of the Chinese
Catholic Patriotic Association.
a) The Patriotic Association is not created by Christ. It is
created by an atheistic Communist Government.
b) The Patriotic Association is not the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church.
c) The Patriotic Association does not recognize the supreme
administrative, legislative, and judicial authority of the Pope
and is autonomous from Him. Consequently, it does not report to
the Pope. It reports to the Chinese National Congress of Catholic
Representatives.
d) The Patriotic Association is not in communion with the Pope,
nor is it in communion with the Universal Church. It is not
Catholic.
e) The Patriotic Association appoints and ordains its bishops
without the permission of the Pope. This action is specifically
prohibited by cannon law. According to Cannon Law, it appears
these bishops have all been automatically excommunicated, with
the authority of reversal reserved only to the Holy See. A small
number of Patriotic Association bishops have been recognized by
the Holy See.
Chapter II OBSERVATIONS
A number of Catholic organizations, in their fervor to evangelize
China, have fallen victim to the propaganda of the Patriotic
Association and their misguided charity. They decided to work
with the Patriotic Association on many projects. The underground
Roman Catholic Church has not received the same level of
benefits.
In this section, we will present the false theories, prompting
them to assist the Patriotic Association. In the meantime, we
will discuss the effect of their actions and reasons why they are
wrong.
FALSE THEORY ONE
Both Sides Have The Same Faith:
Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic
charity organization, in defending its assistance to the
Patriotic Association, said:
"Both (the Patriotic Association and the Roman
Catholic Church in China) have...the same Faith... The
differences between them are due more to historical events in the
1950s and to differences in the policies of local civil
authorities rather than to theological divergences."
Articles in other magazines such as AMERICA, published by
the Jesuits of the United States and Canada, also propagate this
false theory that the Patriotic Association and Roman Catholic
Church have the same faith.
If this analogy were true, one might readily excuse such
heresiarchs as Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, and
others of his fellow bishops in England during the reign of Henry
VIII. When Henry VIII was determined to proclaim himself head of
the Catholic Church in England, anyone who refused to take the
Oath of Supremacy was tortured and put to death. Most of the
English bishops went along, shall we say, because historical
events?"
During the reign of Henry, the Catholic liturgy remained
outwardly the same. It was not until the reign of the boy king,
Edward VI, that Cranmer devised the revised order of the Mass to
the point of making the Mass invalid. Thousands of martyrs died
for the Catholic faith during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI
and Elizabeth I. Only during the brief reign of Mary Tudor was
England restored to Catholic unity and the true Mass restored.
Many of the same bishops who accepted the Oath of Supremacy now
made a "profession of faith." Many of them were also
reacting to the "historical events."
If the excuse that the Patriotic bishops are only facing the
"reality of historical events" is a valid one, what are
we to say of the thousands of bishops, priests and lay martyrs
who gave their freedom and even their lives in defense of the
Catholic faith? According to the "historical events"
theory, they were simply "fools!" or as the Chinese
communist government said, "counter-revolutionary". The
same can be said of all the martyrs honored by the Catholic
church, from the time of the Roman Empire to the present day.
From what we have discussed in section 4A of the first chapter,
we know that the Patriotic Association does not have the same
faith as that of the loyal Roman Catholic Church.
Holy Father publicly proclaimed numerous times his deep love for
China. But, why does the Holy Father still refuse to recognize
the Patriotic Association as a Catholic Church, 38 years after
its establishment?
Obviously, the continuous refusal of the Patriotic Association to
recognize the supreme legislative, executive and judicial
authority of the Roman Pontiff prevent it from being in communion
with the successor of Peter. This is a fundamental faith of the
Roman Catholic Church that the Holy Father must assert and
uphold. This basic divergence between the Roman Catholic Church
and the Patriotic Association in China prevented Holy Father from
recognizing the Patriotic Association as Catholic.
"Historical events" and "local civil
policies" are irrelevant in deciding the issues for
recognition. Neither are the private opinion of certain prelates
and scholars.
FALSE THEORY TWO
The Church Under The Communist Regime In Eastern Europe Prior to
Its Collapse
Is The Same Church As The Patriotic Association.
Inasmuch As We Helped The Eastern Europe Churches,
We Should Help The Patriotic Association.
Before the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe in 1990,
persecution of the Catholic church in this region also existed.
Many organizations rightly took pride in assisting the persecuted
church in Eastern Europe and in Cuba at that time.
Based on these events, Aid To The Church In Need wrote:
"Over 40 years ago we started helping the persecuted
Church in Eastern Europe...If even the Pope had no reservations
about making use of a communist to support the persecuted Church,
then should we not also be ready to co-operate with a
communist-controlled Church?"
The answer to the above question has to be a resounding NO!
In the case of Eastern Europe, the Pope took advantage of certain
Communist policies and procedures, and supported the persecuted
Roman Catholic Church, which was not a "Communist-controlled
church", but was a church in communion with Him and was a
part of the Universal Church.
The Patriotic Association cannot be equated to the previously
persecuted Roman Catholic Church in Eastern Europe. It is a
"Communist-controlled church" As discussed earlier, it
is not a catholic church and is not recognized by the Holy
Father.
Therefore, the one church in China which should receive the focus
from the Universal Church and be equated to the previously
persecuted church in Eastern Europe is the underground Roman
Catholic Church and not the Patriotic Association. The universal
church has an obligation to assist the persecuted Church in China
and elsewhere.
FALSE THEORY THREE
Fraternal Charity - Large Donations to The Patriotic Association.
The 1988 advisory to the world Bishops from the Holy See said
that any contact with the Patriotic Association should be marked
by "doctrinal clarity".
We have dealt in Chapter 1 with the doctrine in detail of the
Patriotic Association. Let us now take a look of the
"fraternal charity" as advocated by many worldwide
Catholic institutions.
Charity and compassion must be properly and appropriately placed.
Charity applies to all, but must first start with our obligation
at home and focus on all the basic needs of the Roman Catholic
Bishops. To give the Patriotic Association $ 4.3 million (page
36, no. 5, 1994, 39 Days) from various Catholic institutions
while the loyal underground brothers was "left with
nothing" can hardly be called "Fraternal Charity".
To pour millions of dollars into the hands of the Communist
Government and its controlled church while the government is
imprisoning the Roman Catholic bishops and faithful is a direct
insult to the suffering church.
IMPLICATION: Is The Universal Church Endorsing The Patriotic
Association By Making Large Donations to it?
One does not donate to an organization let alone support them
with millions, unless one approves of their policies and agenda.
The accommodation or cooperation with the Patriotic Association
from the organizations of the universal church is in effect an
endorsement of the Patriotic Association. Such endorsements
encourage the Chinese government to continue with their current
policy, among which is the persecution of the underground Roman
Catholic Church. These endorsements indirectly prolong the
religious persecution in China.
Donations from various Catholic institutions have been used to
print bibles in China. In these bibles, several of the notes
explaining the supremacy of the Pope were deleted or altered.
The donations also supported Patriotic Association seminarians to
study in the United States and European seminaries. These
seminarians will return to China to be ordained by the Patriotic
Association Bishops and serve in the Patriotic Association. Where
the loyalties of these seminarians lie is obvious.
In addition, these donations also built and renovated Patriotic
Association churches while the loyal priests and bishops are not
allowed to have any church or site for offering Masses or holding
a meeting.
In the eyes of the faithful in China, the Universal Church HAS
clearly endorsed the Patriotic Association and its policy by
virtue of its generous donation and enthusiastic participation in
the Patriotic Association projects even though the Patriotic
Association has publicly rejected the Pope's supreme
administrative, legislative, and judicial authority.
Therefore, those Catholic missionaries and organizations
assisting the Patriotic Association are publicly undermining the
importance of "allegiance to the Holy See". At best,
they can only be regarded as social service organizations in
China. They are not serving their primary function of
evangelization as a Catholic organization.
FALSE THEORY FOUR
Cooperation With The Patriotic Association Should Be Encouraged
Because Of Ecumenism.
In his encyclical letterMORTALIUM ANIMOS of January 6,
1928, Pope Pius XI condemns certain errors of false ecumenism,
expressing:
"Since the Mystical Body of Christ, in the same manner
as His physical body, is one, compacted and fitly joined
together, it were foolish and out of place to say that the
Mystical Body is made up of members which are disunited and
scattered abroad: whosoever is not united with the Body is no
member of it, neither is he in communion with Christ its
head."
Obviously, the Patriotic Association, refusing to acknowledge the
administrative, legislative, and judicial authority of the Pope
as we have repeatedly explained above, fits perfectly with the
above description as "disunited" and therefore
"foolish" to say that it unites with the
"Body".
No Ecumenical Council of the Church has ever contradicted a
doctrine proposed by former councils. All documents of the Church
demonstrate the evolution of dogma, but never engages in such a
radical innovation which contradicts previous teachings.
Therefore, the encyclicals MORTALIUM ANIMOS and AD SINARUM GENTEM
are still sound teachings regardless of their age.
In his latest encyclical UT UNUM SINT, Pope John Paul II
referred to the document of the Second Vatican Council entitled DIGNITATIS
HUMANAE and said:
"Ecumenism...is not a question of altering the deposit
of faith, changing the meaning of dogmas, eliminating essential
words from them, accommodating truth to the preferences of a
particular age, or suppressing certain articles of the CREED
under the false pretext that they are no longer understood
today...In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with
God who is Truth...A 'being together'' which betrayed the truth
would thus be opposed both to the nature of God who offers His
communion and to the need for truth found in the depths of every
human heart."
True ecumenism is, therefore, an often difficult marriage between
love and truth. One cannot exist without the other.
Pope John Paul II emphasized in the above quotation that compromise
is in contradiction with God. Yes, one must love one's
neighbor. Yes, one must love other Christians and all other
religious believers. One must establish a dialogue with them so
that members of other faiths would feel comfortable in
approaching us, and we Roman Catholics could thus find a possible
common ground and explain our differences.
A sincere dialogue require an expression of goodwill. As the
Patriotic Association is directly under the Communist government,
would it not be the most appropriate expression of goodwill for
the leaders of the Patriotic Association actively to influence
the Communist government to grant to the persecuted Roman
Catholic Church in China the same religious freedom that the
Patriotic Association enjoys. Regrettably, there is no evidence
of such goodwill.
Since the Patriotic Association continuously denies the
administrative, legislative and judicial authority of the Roman
Pontiff, this in itself betrays truth. To assist the Patriotic
Association beyond the scope of "fraternal charity"
proposed by the Vatican will therefore offend against both the
"nature of God" and the "need for truth".
Ecumenism does not mean giving up our faith to join another
"sister church". Rather we must accept the fact that
the Patriotic Association is not Roman Catholic. We must explain
to the Patriotic Association and its members the differences
between the Roman Catholic Church and the Patriotic Association,
identify some of the common ground, and welcome them to return to
the "one fold and one shepherd". For the Aid To The
Church In Need to say, "cooperation is permissible, possible
and desirable" with the Patriotic Association, without any
condition, is a gross misinterpretation of the Second Vatican
Council and of the above papal documents.
The Cardinal Kung Foundation, in union with the loyal Roman
Catholic Church in China, has deep love for all the people of
China, Catholic and non-Catholic, including all our separated
brethren. We follow the intention of Cardinal Kung whose motto on
his Coat of Arms is Ut Sint Unum Ovile Et Unus Pastor
(That there may be one fold and one shepherd). We also pray with
the Holy Father and with the Gospel of Our Lord: Ut Omnes unum
sint, sicut tu, Pater in me, et ego in te ut et ipsi in nobis
unum sint. (That they all may be one, as You, Father in Me,
and I in You; that they may be one in Us) (John 17:21).
FALSE THEORY FIVE
It Is Very Risky to Work With The Loyal Roman Catholic
(unofficial) Church
Because It Is Illegal In China.
Sympathizers of the Patriotic Association often argued that
aiding an "illegal church" under its many restrictive
conditions makes missionary efforts not effective and even risky.
The Patriotic Association should, therefore, be courted and
assisted regardless of the well-known fact that the Patriotic
Association is independent from the Holy Father.
While we must make a strong effort in our missionary endeavors,
the fruit of the mission is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Since
the early church in the Roman days, the Catholic church has been
deemed illegal in many countries and at various times. Many
saints became such because they were caught illegally spreading
the gospel and were martyred The blood of the martyrs is the
seeds of the church despite the "illegal" status of
these martyrs.
One of the prerequisites to becoming a missionary is his
readiness to die for Christ, that is why the cardinal's color is
red, symbolizing blood. There is no easy way out. Those
missionaries who are on the side of the Patriotic Association
because of the illegal status of the loyal Roman Catholic Church
must be mindful that the missionary mandate, since it comes from
Christ Himself, is of a higher order (cf. Matt 28: 16-20; John
20: 21-23)
The loyal church in China has grown from 3 million to 8 million
even with its "illegal status", lack of churches,
bankrupt finances, and continuous persecution for 45 years.
The yet-to-be-certified miracle at the Shrine of Our Lady of Dong
Lu on May 23, 1995 is perhaps an important message of love from
Our Holy Mother to the Roman Catholic (illegal and unofficial)
Church. Before these 30,000 underground and loyal Catholics, God
demonstrated that, despite their "illegal" status and
activities, the loyal faithful remain close to His heart. This
miracle has been confirmed by the local Ordinary.
FALSE THEORY SIX
We Cannot Work With The Loyal Roman Catholic Church,
Because We Cannot Find Them.
They Are All Underground.
"Underground" describing the loyal Roman Catholic
Church has become a generic term. They were truly underground
about twenty years ago. Since 1990 when the loyal Church
organized her Bishops Conference, it became a mandate for the
loyal bishops to venture aboveground. Since then, the whereabouts
of the loyal bishops are well known to the Chinese Government's
security bureau. While it is still both difficult and risky for a
tourist to visit the loyal bishops and clergy, it is no longer an
issue for missionary communities to reach them.
CONCLUSION
There must be a lot more reasons that the sympathizers of the
Patriotic Association can offer for their support of the
Patriotic Association, but they would all become irrelevant when
one understands that the Patriotic Association, not being
Catholic, can never represent the true Roman Catholic Church in
China.
In view of the above, it is presumptuous for any organization or
Catholic prelate to recognize or to treat the Patriotic
Association as a Roman Catholic church before our Holy Father
announced so, if ever. It is hypocritical for prelates or
faithful to work with the Patriotic Association under the pretext
of love for China. It is wrong and misdirected for those who do
not work with the Vatican appointed underground Bishops in China.
EPILOGUE
In its first pastoral letter, the Chinese National Conference of
Roman Catholic Bishops said:
"It is most lamentable and unfortunate to be separated
from the Church. We must pray often for these separated brothers
and sisters (the Patriotic Association) so that the merciful Lord
will grant them the grace to repent. We must persuade them with
love and encourage them with faith, so that they too will be
filled with the Holy Spirit, and be courageous witnesses of
Christ. May they sail smoothly on the bark of mother Church with
St. Peter at its helm, and return home to the Universal Church
ruled by our Sovereign Pontiff."
Let us pray for the Patriotic Associations in the words of
Cardinal Kung,
"Grant mercy, O Lord, to those brothers and sisters
who chose to be separated from you, may they return to the one
fold and one Shepherd."
