|
|
|
TopG
TopG
TopG |
|
Interview with the Bishop of Hong Kong |
||
|
Vol. XVIII x No. 4 APRIL-MAY 2006 |
||
|
|
"THE CHINESE PEOPLE ARE CRUSHED." The day the Hong Kong newspapers announced that Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun might be named cardinal, World Mission interviewed him. In fluent Italian, this lucid, well-informed and wise prelate dismissed the talk as pure “rumors” and added that he was not losing his sleep over them. At the end of the interview he, with humor, concluded: “I have more chances of becoming a cardinal than my sister.” Again, he insisted that the rumors were ‘hearsay” and “speculations.” But, the “rumors” have come true. Bishop Zen is one of the 15 newly-appointed cardinals. Immediately after the official announcement, he commented: "This appointment is a sign of the Pope's goodwill and love for the whole of China." It is clear that, for him, what really matters is what the Church of China is facing today: lack of liberty, disrespect for human rights, and poverty that affects a big chunk of the population. He says that “the people are crushed,” that “the government controls everything.” He fears for what can happen as “social upheaval, especially among the farmers, is progressively coming to the surface. Despair, to them, has become a source of strength.” Interview by Jose Rebelo and Manuel Augusto Ferreira Comboni Missionaries What is your view of the Church in China? There are signs that can make us optimistic about the future, but there are also other signs that cause us some concern. Among the encouraging signs are the recent ordinations of the bishops of Shanghai and Xian: They show that, with patience and firmness, the Church can stand up to the government; the government has to accept the bishops appointed by the Holy See. At the same time, there are many signs of disorder and division in the dioceses: among legitimate bishops who have different opinions and priests who are caught up by secularism. Regarding politics, there has been an improvement in the economy but still no progress in democracy. The government is in control, with the help of modern technology and Internet companies. But, surely, it will be difficult to maintain this control… Yes. While they are in control now, this does not mean that this will not change. There is no democracy within the party and this is disastrous. Things might explode. People are crushed. Here, along China’s southern coast, there is prosperity amidst corruption. Deep down, people live in very poor conditions. Social upheaval, especially among the farmers, is progressively coming to the surface. Despair, to them, has become a source of strength. Vocations have diminishedReturning to the Church: What about the vocations? How is the training of the clergy? I worked in different seminaries. I started working in Shanghai seminary in 1989 and in six other seminaries from 1993 to 1996. There used to be many vocations coming from families with many children but now the number has diminished. In some areas, there are a good number of vocations; in others nothing at all. For example, there are no vocations in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. Vocations have diminished practically everywhere due to the one-child policy. Besides, there is also the question of quality. When I started working in the seminaries, we felt the lack of a serious formation program and of experienced spiritual directors. We were already concerned about good and sound discernment then. In recent years, there had been a lot of defections. The situation is difficult. The number of priests trained is not enough to meet the need and to replace the old clergy. Another problem concerns young priests who are sent alone to work in different parishes soon after leaving the seminary. Once they are left to themselves, especially those assigned to remote areas, and are not supported by seminary discipline and community prayer, they encounter a lot of difficulties: from the elders who are suspicious of new priests, down to the liturgy which some do not find acceptable. Recently, many dioceses feel the need of having retreats for the clergy and we willingly send priests to direct retreats there. There is still a great need for spiritual formation. An “affective” approach Regarding the relationship between the official and the underground Church... Is reconciliation forthcoming? In a situation where the government controls everything, there is no real possibility of a true dialogue between the two Churches. Instead, there could be an “affective” approach. We have to understand that we all belong to the same Church and, thus, we must not fight one another nor nourish prejudices… But to come together is not possible at the moment because the government controls everything. The relationship between these Churches is naturally different from one place to another. In many areas, there is no conflict between them; there is peaceful coexistence, but the possibility of working together is nil. Let us take the example of Shanghai. There, both the official and underground Churches are strong. At first, many Catholics of the underground Church did not positively accept the bishop of the patriotic Church. However, they gradually came to realize that he was trying his best for the good of the Church, and that he also was in contact with the Vatican. Recently, they learned that he had been recognized by the Pope. They also know that the new auxiliary bishop is a good and holy person and even the underground Catholics accept him. They do live together in peace. The priests themselves can help foster a peaceful relationship; a priest from the official Church can let a priest from the underground Church celebrate Mass in his church. A member of the underground Church is welcome to be a part of the patriotic Church, which is now acknowledged by the Holy Father. The government would like to see the underground Church come to the ‘surface’ but I believe this is not advisable at the moment. It would be a big mistake and would bring much pain and damage to them. To do so, would only put them in danger. From the outside, it seems the lack of dialogue between the two Churches was a historical problem and, as the older leaders are being replaced, there would be an improvement in this dialogue. However, you are saying that while the government is in control that is not possible… How can a bishop of the official Church meet a bishop of the underground Church? It is difficult to conceal it from the government. If they find out, the bishop of the underground Church will be put in prison. There is no freedom, remember. All they see is moneyIs there any progress in diplomatic relations between China and the Holy See? There is little progress. There is need for time and patience. Meanwhile, it is better to solve the question of the appointment of bishops. There are many dioceses in need of a bishop. I am afraid the government may impose their bishops and, if the Holy See agrees, it may cause problems. To appoint young bishops who will not perform well is dangerous. It seems that Beijing is not much interested in pursuing a dialogue. Why? I do not know. Probably because they noticed that Pope John Paul II was anti-communist. They saw the canonization of the Chinese Martyrs as a real provocation. Or maybe they do not really see the need for a dialogue. Why should they dialogue if they control the Church very well? Nobody can complain. The outside world talks about human rights abuses but shuts up when it comes to business. Probably they don’t feel the need. But then, they saw that the whole world was present at the funeral of John Paul II. They might be having second thoughts about the dialogue. It was thought that the Beijing government was interested in a dialogue because the Vatican holds a position of prestige among the nations... They do not care much about that prestige and are not afraid because all nations do business with them. Especially in Africa, China is dealing with everyone without any concern for human rights… That is the problem. All they see is money and forget about human rights! He is like a pope there In 2008, there will be the Olympic Games in China. Will that be a good opportunity for the Church, for a new opening? Not really! The Games will be of very little benefit to the Church. There were the Asian Games – they are not the same as the Olympic Games, but there are some similarities – and the Church got no benefits. Before the Games, they arrested a bishop or a priest, and freed him afterwards. That was all we got. Are the Christians winning in China or not? These last months, the news spoke of many conversions and that the number of Christians has overtaken those enrolled in the Communist Party. Is this true? We have no data to confirm it. We know that the Protestants are making great progress but I do not know about the Catholics. In the Synod on the Eucharist, I mentioned that we are winning in the sense that we have imposed on the government the bishops of Shanghai and Xian but the structure remains the same. For example, the bishops invited by the Pope to participate in the Synod could not go. Those from Vietnam were able to go, but not the Chinese. What can the Universal Church and particular Churches outside China do to help the Church in China? In your view, what is it that can be done at this moment? Many are doing many things discreetly. There is, obviously, the need to speak the local language. Church personnel from continental China have more possibilities to work there because they are not easily identified; it is difficult for a foreigner to pass unnoticed. We have many from Hong Kong who go there to give seminars, courses, and to preach at retreats. Even some foreigners who know the language managed to go there to help the underground Church for a month or so. But the control is tight. It is not possible to go to Xian because the bishop has not obeyed the government, and they are punishing him. In Hebei, even though the Church is patriotic, the government does not trust them because they say that it is more underground than patriotic. In Shanghai, there is a strong bishop but Beijing limits his activities too much. If he has a list of 12 invited teachers, for example, Beijing would approve only five, saying the invitees have been many times to the place, even when they were there only once! He has no power… power is in Beijing. It is Liu Bai Nie (the executive secretary of the Patriotic Association of Catholics) who controls everything. He is like a pope there! As the head of the Episcopal Conference has been dead for some years, and Bishop Michele Fu of Beijing, the head of the Patriotic Association, is sick, it is Liu Bai Nie who controls everything. He probably is a member of the Communist Party even if he says he is a Christian. They do not allow you to go there… No. I have to be invited first. They do not say that I cannot go there; they just say: “You have to be invited!” If you could make a wish concerning China, what would it be? We cannot separate the Church from China. There is a need for an intelligent and courageous leader for the country to bring about some reforms. This need is not only for the Church. Apparently, things have changed, but there is still absolute control by the government. There is no legality; a person can be arrested at any time on any pretext. <WM
“We need to save democracy.” Does Beijing’s control affect Hong Kong? No. We have been separated from China for a good number of years so the control by Beijing does not reach us here. They are, however, interfering more and more now and there are signs that cause us some worry. They are interfering increasingly through those who obey them. The wealthy in Hong Kong are the best friends of the Beijing government and they betray Hong Kong because of their own personal material interests. They want to have money and power and the values of true democracy fall to second place. There is a need to save democracy in Hong Kong. They have not limited religious freedom in our territory but they have made new laws against our schools, and we noticed it too late. The law was approved by the Legislative Council. In the future, we may not be able to run our schools freely. So have you lost freedom in the schools? We still have control over our schools but we may not have it in the future anymore. Every school will have its own board of directors and become autonomous, directly accountable to the government. That is why we are trying to have this law revoked because it seems to us that it contradicts the law in which it is stated that religious groups have the right to run their own schools – just as it was before Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. Our lawyers are working on it and tell us that there is hope of having this law revoked. The flaws of capitalism What are the problems and opportunities of the Church in Hong Kong? The Church is alive and active here. There are many young people in our communities. We held a synod three years ago and it was very successful. We are now trying to implement the good conclusions that came out of it. Christian life in the parishes is very much alive; however, vocations are few. Secularism is high in Hong Kong society and comfort and pleasure seem to have the upper hand. Young people are afraid of committing themselves for life in a consecrated vocation; they feel insecure also because of the situations they are in with their own families. We have many Christians in government positions and in important social structures. However, they are not very familiar with the social doctrine of the Church. We live in a capitalist system which favors the widening of the gap between rich and poor. Hong Kong is almost the “champion” of such a gap! The political structure is all to the advantage of the rich, who hold the majority in the Legislative Council. Are you saying that the Church’s social impact is diminishing and that it has no way of helping society to develop according to the Gospel values? I am saying that the Church could have much more impact. The impact is more at the social rather than at the political level. The great leader of the Democrats – even if he is not the leader anymore – is a Catholic. There are many Catholics in the government but they favor the capitalist system. Our impact is mainly through the schools. There, we proclaim the Gospel – an honest and good civil lifestyle, good values in trade and business – but social and political awareness has been lacking. Only now, through the Justice and Peace Commission, have parishes become more committed in these fields. I have been intervening more and more about human rights. I hope I have helped to increase the social awareness of the Church. More apostolic zealHow does the Church in Hong Kong live its missionary dimension? We have always had the help of missionaries, and they are many here. Without their help, we would not have fulfilled our commitments and, thank God, we are still receiving young missionaries. However, our missionary commitment is not very noticeable. We have lay people who go to Africa and Cambodia but they are just a handful. Recently, we sent a priest to Africa for a three-year assignment. Our missionary activities are, in fact, not many. Priests here live in good conditions. You are a son of Don Bosco. The Salesians are celebrating 100 years of presence in China. What are the challenges of such a long presence? We have had great missionaries, dedicated and committed. Our Superior General has affirmed that we must pray for the grace of being awake. And the Pope, in his Christmas greetings, has written: “Wake up because the Lord has become God-with-us, wake up!” The Lord expects more apostolic zeal from us, more zeal in announcing the Gospel. <WM
An outspoken cardinal Copyright©2003-2006 World Mission Magazine |
