Set up by
Benedict XVI in 2007 after the release of his letter, it focuses on the
Churches’ concerns for the Chinese community and at the same time tries
to guide the life of the faithful in the difficult situation of
persecution.
Simultaneously, the Commission is exploring ways in which
to mature diplomatic relations with Beijing.
In previous annual meetings the topics discussed were the
Pope's letter, the formation of seminarians, nuns and priests.
The
meeting, according to the Vatican press office, focuses on "the pastoral
situation of ecclesiastical districts in China, with particular
reference to the challenges encountered by the Church in embodying the
Gospel in the current social and cultural conditions."
The brief statement hides a painful reality on which the
Members of the Commission are at present divided.
It regards Beijing’s
slap in the face with the illicit ordination of the bishop of Chengde
(see photos and Chengde 20/11/2010: Chengde, eight bishops in communion with Pope participate in illicit ordination) and the Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives (09/12 / 2010 Assembly elects new leadership, causing major harm to the Church),
in November and December: Despite the many sermons on the détente
between China and the Holy See and despite the blind optimism of various
Vatican personalities, China in fact decreed that it will allow
Episcopal elections only if candidates are those chosen by Beijing which
aims to use bishops at will in support of its policy, eliminating even
the smallest space for religious freedom asked for by the pope in his
letter (see n. 4 "[The Church] can not and must not replace the State.
But it can not and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for
justice").
Beijing's aggressive moves have also closed the
door on attempts at reconciliation between official and underground
communities, which John Paul II and Benedict XVI were so patiently
mending.
To date, the president of the Council of official bishops' (not
recognized by the Vatican because of the lack of underground bishops)
is an illicit bishop, Ma Yinglin. The chairman of the Patriotic
Association (an organization not in line with Catholic teaching, because
it aims to build a Church independent of the pope) is a bishop approved
by the pope, Mgr. Fang Xinyao.
This puts many of the 65 official
bishops in a situation of near-schism and inhibits the 38 underground
bishops from showing unity and reconciliation with them, deeply desired
by the pope.
In the Vatican there are those who call for canonical decision
on the behaviour of some official bishops (especially Mgr. Fang Xinyao),
speaking of "excommunication," but explaining that "excommunication" as
a disciplinary decision is not a final one.
It serves as an invitation
to reflect on his actions and help nurture and love his bonds with the
pope, rather than the peace and prosperity that submission to the Party
guarantees.
There are also those who want to skim-over the latest episodes,
without making any decisions, confident in the dialogue with the regime
and blaming Maoist fringes for the recent actions against the Church.
In fact, throughout China there is an escalation of repression against
Catholics, Protestants and human rights activists (often Protestant
believers), because of Beijing’s terror of a "jasmine revolution".
Persecution and control are therefore the tools of the entire
leadership, not only one part.
Official and underground Christians in China tell AsiaNews that
the Vatican "must not be blackmailed with diplomatic relations."
They
argue that the Vatican authorities, long desirous of establishing
official relationships, are ready to "sell out" to Chinese power.
"At
the moment China has no interest in establishing these diplomatic
relations – confides a Hebei faithful - and so it is best that the Holy
See is committees its energies to strengthening unity and faith of the
official and underground communities."
Underground Catholics point out that for years the Vatican
seems to have put the underground faithful in brackets: many vacant sees
have not had replacements and seminarians are asked to enter the
official seminaries.
Instead, they say, in order to strengthen the faith
of the entire Church in China, the Holy See should go ahead on its own,
without considering the opinion of the government, and in the name of
the pastoral good of the faithful, ordain bishops and ordain priests
even in the unofficial community.
Perhaps the Catholic communities could
learn from the underground Protestant communities that now, faced with
the violence of the regime, appear in public to demand religious
freedom. Some of them were arrested, but while they show the world that
their only desire is to see the religious freedom implemented that the
Chinese constitution preaches (without practising it).
Then to strengthen the relationship between the Church in China
and the Universal Church it is important to enhance the great efforts
of so-called bridge-churches: those of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and
Singapore.
Through visits, reports, financial aid, sending teachers and
religious personnel, they can comfort and help develop the life of the
Chinese community, stifled by control or arrests.
In recent days, two events have reaffirmed the urgent need for a
clear line in the Vatican Commission. An article in the Financial Times
(04/08/2011) published notice of a meeting in Burgundy between senior
Chinese Army representatives (PLA) and Vatican figures working on the
China dossier.
The article seems to suggest that the meeting was based
on a re-opening of diplomatic channels between the Holy See and Beijing.
In fact, according to information obtained by AsiaNews from a
Vatican source, the meeting in the Palace of Burgundy had other purposes
and the meeting between the Vatican figures (Mgr Balestrero and Msgr.
Gianfranco Rota Graziosi) and some generals of the PLA were purely
indirect, as well as fruitless.
On 6 April, however, Card. Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong
Kong and pugnacious defender of religious freedom in China, met with the
President of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican John
Boehner.
He expressed his "unequivocal support" for the cardinal's
commitment to the Church and the religious freedom of all peoples".
Boehner has called the Catholic Church "a beacon of hope for positive
change and freedom in China."
The hope is that this time, the Vatican Commission meeting will
reveal a clear and realistic vision of the relationship between church
and state in China, which does not betray the sacrifice and the
expectation of those who are loyal to the Pope in that country.