On the last day of her three day visit to China, last Saturday week, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted on adding an unusual meeting to her schedule: a visit to the Catholic Cathedral of Guangzhou in the Province of Guangdong – the manufacturing heart of China – for a half hour tête-à-tête with Bishop Giuseppe Gan Junqiu, a figure that is recognised both by the Holy See and the Beijing government. This visit to the Catholic bishop was one of three meetings Merkel had wanted to make happen, to demonstrate her support to Chinese civil society which often clashes with state authorities.
The German Chancellor had also asked to meet a lawyer from Beijing who was an expert in human rights and to visit the offices of the Guangzhou-based weekly paper Southern Weekend.
But the Chinese government only approved the meeting with Mgr. Gan, which took place in a location that was strictly cordoned off.
The police ensured journalists were kept away from the cathedral but UCANews agency which covers news concerning the Catholic Church in Asia, still managed to speak with the bishop after the meeting with Chancellor Merkel.
“She asked for some basic information on the diocese of Guangzhou and the Catholic Church in Guangdong – the bishop said – such as the number of Catholics, their ages, what jobs they do and what activities they are involved in outside mass.”
There was no explicit mention to the situation of religious freedom in China: “She asked me if I am able to express myself freely, if there was someone who told me what I should and should not say, in my homilies for example,” the prelate said.
“I gave her a sincere answer; I told her that I preach in accordance with the Bible and that I try to link what I preach to the every-day lives of faithful and the social situation.”
Merkel also called on the Church to intensify its charity work by opening more nursery schools and old people’s homes “in order to promote social harmony, freedom and equality,” Mgr. Gan said.
The bishop went on to state that the German Chancellor gave him the impression of being a devout woman who was deeply concerned about China’s policies on religious and social freedom.
Before the encounter, Mgr. Gan had said he was shocked by the announcement of the German leader’s visit and that he was uncertain as to why she wanted a face to face meeting with him.
During a visit to China in 2006, Chancellor Merkel had met the Catholic Archbishop of Shanghai, the German speaking Mgr. Aloysius Jin Luxian and other representatives of Church leaders.