In His "August Mission Intention", the Holy Father
asks Catholics throughout the world to pray for:
"The strengthening of visible communion between the
Church in China and the See of Peter".
We are very grateful to His Holiness for keeping China in his
open agenda repeatedly. Within one year, he has publicly declared
at least three times his fatherly love to China.
First, he issued a letter last September to "all the
Catholic sons and daughters of the great and illustrious Chinese
family". In it, he stressed:
"I am especially close to those who have remained
faithful to Jesus Christ and to His Church in the midst of
difficulties of all kinds, and continue to testify, even at the
cost of deep and prolonged suffering, that the principle of
communion with the Successor of Peter...cannot be renounced by a
Catholic who desires to remain such and to be recognized as
such."
He followed this statement with a message from Manila on the
occasion of the world Youth Day. The Pope broadcasted to China,
sending a "special and affectionate greeting to all Chinese
Catholics who make present and visible on Chinese soil the Church
of Christ, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, a community of
faith, hope and charity." In his message, he said:
"Genuine love...cannot be separated from truth...Unity
springs from conversion of the heart and from a sincere
acceptance of the unchanging principles laid down by Christ for
his church...A Catholic who wishes to remain such and to be
recognized as such cannot reject the principle of communion with
the successor of Peter."
We now have the mission intention for China directly from our
beloved Holy Father. Thanks be to God.
In China, there is only one Catholic Church which is the Church
founded by Christ, One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. This is
commonly known as the loyal, suffering, underground, clandestine,
or unofficial church which has been persecuted since 1949 when
China turned Communist.
The faith of this underground Catholic Church and the visible
communion between it and the See of Peter are so extraordinarily
strong that it sustained 45 years of persecution from the Chinese
government. However, this faith and communion is not achieved
without a heavy price. All church properties were confiscated by
the Government. Many bishops, religious and faithful died as
martyrs while many others such as Cardinal Kung, Rev. Francis
Tsai, S.J., and thousands of other unsung heroes live as
"dry" martyrs spending 5, 10, 15, 25, 30 or more years
in jail for Christ.
Many critics of the underground Church feel that those
persecuted, in speaking about its persecution, is, in fact,
refusing to relinquish their past sad experiences. These critics
regrettably insist on ignoring the current continuous persecution
of the underground church. Even today, many underground bishops,
other religious, and lay persons are repeatedly arrested,
interrogated, and harassed. Elderly religious live in appalling
substandard conditions. The faithful must endure constant threat
of arrest or fines of up to 5,000 Chinese Yen (US $625),
equivalent to a poor villager's income of 2 years, should they be
arrested for attending unauthorized religious activities, such as
a Mass celebrated by a loyal Catholic priest.
The faith of the underground church and its unwavering fidelity
to the See of Peter is a model for every Catholic community in
the world.
However, faith needs to be nurtured and strengthened through
continuous prayers, particularly when its path is beset with
obstacles and thorns. In this sense, we believe, the Pope has
asked, in his August intention, for the universal church to keep
the persecuted Church of China in its prayers.
Holy Father also appears to specially remember our other Chinese
Christian brothers and sisters, who, unfortunately, in the face
of adversity, has weakened and wavered in their Catholic faith,
choosing to deny the supremacy of the Holy Father and following
the Patriotic Association. They may attend the rites of the
Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), 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. For fear, for physical
security, financial advantage, educational / 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".
The Holy Father asked us to pray for "the strengthening of
visible communion between the Church and the See of Peter" which
will give this group of the "middle of the roaders"
courage to return to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
Church.
Some Patriotic members, including bishops of the Patriotic
Association, are Catholic scholars. Yet, they openly reject the
supreme authority of the Roman Pontiff. Their loyalty to the CCPA
won them approval and appointment as leaders of the CCPA. A well
known CCPA Bishop, Aloysius Jin, communist appointed bishop of
Shanghai, once affirmed his commitment to autonomy from Rome by
expressing that "the church in China and the Roman Catholic
church are like the divine persons in the Trinity: equals.
(Did he notice that this sounded like blasphemy?)" (
Interview with the Asian Catholic News Agency in Shanghai, page
74 of THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA, by L. Ladany, copyright 1987
by Freedom House). In spite of the repeated public declaration of
autonomy from Rome, Bishop Jin was recently introduced by a
Maryknoll priest , Rev. L. Flynn, to the US. bishops as a
"loyal son of the Church"! These Patriotic Association
leaders (i.e. Fu Teshan, Zong Huaide, Jin Luxian) are hard-core
supporters of the CCPA. It is unlikely, therefore, that any true
visible communion exists between these bishops and the Holy See.
One cannot strengthen something from nothing. Conversion, not
strengthening, of these Patriotic Association loyalists will be
needed. Always patiently hoping for the return of these clergy to
the One, True, Catholic and Apostolic Church, His Holiness showed
His immense love by saying "strengthening of visible
communion between the Church in China and the See of Peter".
We believe that the conversion of these obdurate members of
the Patriotic Association is the real intention of the Pope's
August mission intention.
Whatever were their reasons, these Bishops, by denying the
supreme authority of the Pope, would automatically cut themselves
off as members of the Roman Catholic Church. We have the
responsibility to pray for the return of these Christian brothers
and sisters. We must increase our prayers so that they may have
the grace and the courage to acknowledge their faith, in spite of
the fact that showing visible signs of communion between
themselves and the See of Peter would undoubtedly bring much
displeasure from the communist government. "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." (Pastoral letter issued by the underground Chinese
Bishops' Conference) Through your prayers and that of the Holy
Father, the dream and motto of His Eminence Cardinal Kung "One
Fold and One Shepherd", which is also the vision of Christ,
will come to reality.