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 Bishops in
China
The future
of the Church is at stake
By Gerard O'Connel, Special Correspondent in
Rome/www.ucanews.com
The Holy See is deeply
concerned about the appointment of new bishops in China in the coming years.
This will determine the course of China's Catholic Church for decades.
Appointment of bishops in China:
"This is a big problem," the official, who asked not to be named, said in
late 2005. As 2006 began, the Catholic community in mainland China's 138
dioceses had 65 "open" bishops and 38 "underground" bishops. Among those 103
prelates, most are near or past the retirement age of 75 – fewer than 20 are
younger than 70 – and several others are quite ill.
Last October, Hong Kong's Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, 74, told the Synod of
Bishops in Rome that the overwhelming majority of China's prelates are now
in full communion with Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi who, on
Jan. 5, retired as bishop of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, confirmed the same last
year. The Jesuit cardinal, 82, said "only a small number" of open Church
bishops are still not reconciled with Rome. Vatican sources refuse to give a
precise number, but informed sources said it is "about a dozen."
In the Oct. 15 issue of La Civilta Cattolica, the authoritative
Jesuit publication, Father Hans Waldenfelds spoke about bishops currently
being appointed in China. In an article of that bi-weekly, which is approved
by the Vatican Secretariat of State, the German
Jesuit wrote, "The reality is that, before being consecrated bishops for the
official community, the candidates normally seek to obtain the nomination of
the Holy See."
As for future episcopal appointments in the mainland, one Vatican official
said that the Holy See wants to ensure "worthy men" are chosen as successors
to the present elderly pastors. He further explained that the concept
"worthy" includes certain qualities. First, the man to be bishop should have
"good theological preparation," because "he has to be pastor to his flock
and must be able to teach sound doctrine and oversee that such is
communicated throughout his diocese. Second, the candidate should have "good
moral standing among the people." In other words, the Vatican official said,
"he should have lived a truly moral life, in accordance with the teaching of
the Catholic Church." Third, the man should have "the ability to relate well
to people, have good communication skills, and not be too shy or timid."
Those chosen to be bishops should
have the qualities required to be "a good pastor," the official said. The
Holy See acknowledges that it may not always be possible to choose "the
best" or "the ideal" candidate for a given diocese but it, at least, wants
to make sure that those appointed are "worthy" men, "good" men. In
contemporary China, the Vatican official noted, the Holy See believes there
is a real risk that "unworthy" men could be imposed on Catholic communities
in some dioceses, and it wants to prevent such an eventuality. If "unworthy"
men were appointed bishops, the Holy See fears this "would block" the
development of the Church in China "for perhaps 20-30 years."
Dangerous pressures
According to existing procedures,
the process of appointing bishops in China is meant to be "democratic."
Priests, religious men and women, and the lay faithful can vote for the
candidate they consider most suited. But according to Vatican sources, the
Holy See "is aware" that "in a number of places" the Chinese Catholic
Patriotic Association (CCPA) "is putting pressure on the electors to choose
its candidates, and sometimes they are people who are not suited to be
bishops."
Vatican officials have recently raised this issue with their Chinese
counterparts, but the Chinese responded that there is "no obligation" for a
priest or bishop to join the CCPA. Even so, the reality seems to be
otherwise. The Holy See has learned that CCPA officials "in many places at
the local level" have put pressure on bishops and priests to join the
Association. According to one Vatican source, the situation is "most
difficult" in Hebei province, which has eight official dioceses and is home
to roughly 25 percent of China's 12 million Catholics.
The Beijing diocese in Beijing municipality, near Hebei province, is led by
Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan, 66, who reportedly is quite ill. Bishop Fu has
played a highly controversial role in China's Church, both as president of
the CCPA and, since March 2002, as one of 15
vice-presidents of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic
of China, the first Catholic in the leadership of the country's top
legislative body. Who succeeds Bishop Fu as Beijing's bishop when he retires
or dies is "very important" for the Church in China. The Holy See also is
concerned that a "worthy" pastor succeeds him because the bishop of Beijing
plays a special role, vis-a-vis the government, just as the Catholic
archbishops of Paris, Westminster and Washington do in relation to their
respective governments.
Re-start official negotiations
To work out a mutually
satisfactory solution to the crucial question of the appointment of bishops
in China, Vatican sources say the Holy See believes it is necessary "to
re-start official negotiations." China suspended "official talks" with the
Holy See in 2000, after Pope John Paul II canonized 120 Chinese Martyrs on
Oct. 1 of that year. But signs of a re-approaching surfaced last April at
the time of the funeral of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI,
and immediately thereafter when the Chinese Ambassador to Italy and
representatives from Beijing met with officials in the Vatican. However, the
Chinese do not regard those conversations as "official discussions."
Since then, the Holy See has, on occasion, publicly expressed its desire "to
re-start official talks" with China "as soon as possible" but Beijing, thus
far, has shown no willingness to do so. Vatican sources also say that the
Holy See believes the delicate question of the appointment of bishops could
be resolved with less difficulty if it could engage in direct talks with
China.
In any future negotiations, the same sources say, the Holy See would want
the Chinese authorities "to normalize the situation of the Catholic Church
in the mainland." This means, first, it would want to reach a mutually
acceptable "general solution" with Beijing for the future appointment of
bishops. In 2005, both sides, independently and without any formal
consultations, arrived at pragmatic solutions for the appointment of some
bishops. The Holy See believes a general solution is within reach if China
so wishes. As a second step, the Holy See would also want China to recognize
the existing underground bishops.
However, as one Vatican source has observed, the question of episcopal
appointments is only part, even if an important part, of the much broader
issue of religious freedom. In any future accord for the establishment of
diplomatic or other relations, the Holy See would want China to guarantee "a
reasonable level of religious freedom," says a senior Vatican official. "We
realize that we cannot expect full religious freedom immediately, but we
must have a reasonable level," this official explained.
The ball is now in China's court and the Holy See is waiting for it to play.
<WM
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