On 11-12 October, Card. Joseph Zen,
bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, was allowed to visit the city of Shanghai
after six years. During his strictly controlled visit he was also
allowed to meet with Mgr. Jin Luxian and Xing Wenzhi, ordinary and
auxiliary bishop of the city.
Despite the heavy surveillance, the
cardinal was overjoyed at the opportunity of the visit.
However in recent days some comments regarding this visit have appeared on the website www.chinacath.org
among which that of a certain "Yi Feng" who refers that after meeting
with Zen Msgr. Xing Wenzhi decided to participate in the Eighth National
Assembly of Chinese Catholic representatives.
There is an ongoing and
charged struggle over participation at this event: the Patriotic
Association wants this to elect a new head of the "independent" Church,
separated from the Holy See, but the Pope has rejected the meeting and
its purposes as opposed to Catholic faith. For this reason Card. Zen and
the Vatican itself have on many occasions advised bishops not to
participate.
The comment of "Yi Feng" (perhaps someone writing for the Chinese
government) seems to imply that Mgr. Xing was advised by Card. Zen to
attend the meeting. We publish the response from the Cardinal of Hong
Kong.
In the past days, there was much “traffic” on the Internet site www.chinacath.org. It was caused by some malicious comments on my trip to Shanghai and on what I said on my return (see: http://www.chinacath.org/e/pl/index.php?page=1&classid=103&id=9054) by
a certain Yi Feng and some of his followers. I could just ignore the
whole thing, but for the sake of my brothers who frequent the website, I
feel obliged to make some clarifications.
I made a visit of two half-days (not “two and a half days”) to
Shanghai, to visit my old friend Bishop Jin Lu Xian, who is 95 years
old, and the Bishop Xing Wen Zhi, my colleague in the Sheshan Seminary
for 7 years.
The occasion was the World Expo.The purpose of the trip was
simple and very limited: a sentimental reunion with old friends, but
still worthwhile and I am grateful to my friends who succeeded to obtain
permission for such a trip.
My criticism on my return (see: AsiaNews.it, 15/10/2010 Card. Zen’s "great joy" at first visit to Shanghai in 6 years) was not against those my friends and all who gave me the welcome, but against the “System” of which we all are victims.
I did not complain about the surveillance, it is an obvious
part of the System. I could not ask to see my brothers in the
underground community, it is unthinkable in the System. Some suggest
that I should have gone to the top of Sheshan hill and call everybody to
abandon the Patriotic Association. I do not think it would be fair for
me to embarrass my friends who did much to obtain the permission for me
in spite of no promise on my part not to criticize the Government on my
return.
Within that System, I could not expect to have long talks with
the Bishops on the future of the Church, but that was not necessary.
“Heart to heart speaks”, I would say, quoting the new Blessed John Henry
Newman.
The only explicit thing Bishop Jin told me was: “Cardinal Zen,
we are in One Country Two Systems”. My answer was: “Sure, we can only
work hard for the Church, each one in his System. God is able to bring
everything to a good conclusion.”
When putting my gift, the pectoral cross, on Bishop Xing, I
said: “This cross is light, but the one on your shoulders may be much
heavier.”
I did not talk about the “pork Shanghai-style” with Bishop Jin.
It was on the occasion of the banquet offered by the Director of the
Coordinating Office of the Expo that I did so. I did not complain
against the Director for not discussing the big issues about our
country. Actually, what I said on my return was: “We are both
well-educated and mature persons who love our Country. But according to
the System we were supposed to avoid such thorny discussion.”
Now let me come to the main point, where Mr. Yi Feng took great
pleasure in what he thinks he discovered as interesting coincidences.
1. Yi Feng says: “Every time Zen comes to Shanghai, it is
before the General Assembly of Representatives of Chinese
Catholics”.Facts: This time I was aware that such an Assembly might be
soon convened. But I do not remember whether the last time I was aware
of such situation. What I remember clearly is that in those days the
Standing Committee of the People’s Congress made, for the second time,
an interpretation of the Basic Law of Hong Kong and we had made a strong
protest on our Catholic Weekly.
2. Yi Feng says: “Bishop Xing was adamant on not going to the
8th Assembly, but after Zen’s visit he says that he would go.”Facts: I
did not know that Bishop Xing made any statement before my visit, even
if I always believed that he would not go to that Assembly. I do not
know if Bishop Xing has made any statement after my visit (Catholic
Church on Line should have ascertained the facts, before allowing Yi
Feng’s comments to appear on their website).
In my meeting with Bishop
Xing, we did not mention at all the 8th Assembly. The
position of the Church regarding that Assembly is very clear from the
Pope’s Letter to the Church in China and the communiqué of the
Pontifical Commission for the Church in China (see. AsiaNews.it, 25/03/2010 Holy See: Education, reconciliation, unity with the Pope, the Church's priorities in China).
Any different voice supposedly coming from the Holy See would surely
meet my strong disagreement. To insinuate that I have been the messenger
of such a voice is an insult to me. Either Yi Feng does not know me at
all, or he must have his hidden agenda in making this insinuation.
3. The malicious criticism of Yi Feng against Bishop Xing is
not only an insult to the Bishop, but an offense to all the priests and
faithful of Shanghai. Bishop Xing is highly respected for his strong
faith, both by those above ground and those under ground.
4.Someone came out to join Yi Feng with the expression “Coadjutor
Bishop Jin”, the obvious purpose being to displease Jin and embarrass
me. The fact is that I never used such an expression. It was the
constraint of Church Canon Law that forced the Holy See to qualify
Bishop Jin as Coadjutor and Bishop Xing as Auxiliary.
But everybody
knows that the Pope has recognized the full jurisdiction of Bishop Jin
for the open community of the Shanghai Diocese and that Bishop Xing was
appointed as the successor of both Bishop Jin and Bishop Fan.
5. What I resent most is the lack of respect, on the part of
that renegade Yi Feng, for the holy name of God. Several times he used
the expression “the good old God” to make fun of Him. I think that www.chinacath.org should have erased those blasphemous expressions.
SIC: AN/INT'L