It is well known that American foreign policy towards China is governed more by corporate concerns, rather than ethical or human concepts. China continues to do precisely what it wants regarding its citizens.
The laogai (Chinese versions of the Soviet Union’s gulags) still function, arrests without charges, and concerted efforts against reform groups are common occurrences within the country. Though a signatory of the United Nations’ Human Rights Charter, China makes a mockery of its own pledges. Alas, few countries are willing to take a moral stance against it — including the United States.
One might not expect such a lack of moral certitude from the Vatican and the Catholic Church. However, though it is certainly not for corporate or financial reasons, the Church’s stance on China is decidedly ambiguous.
The Church is seemingly faced with a dilemma. On one hand, there is an underground Church in communion with Rome. On the other is the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a government department that appoints its own “Catholic” clergy and steadfastly refuses to recognize the Holy See as head of the Church.
While the underground Church is harassed, its clergy jailed or under surveillance and saying Mass is an illegal activity, the Patriotic Association is allowed to practice their “faith”. On this turns a contradiction.
When the communists took over China, the Church suffered greatly for decades. The Church was officially banned and its priests and faithful were sent to laogais or martyred. Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Ad Sinarium Gentem in 1954 in response to the sufferings of Chinese Catholics.
For the next 30 years, China tried to exterminate the Church from within its borders until the 1980’s when, with a regime change, it decided that since it couldn’t completely destroy it, China would control it and eradicate it from within. This gave birth to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
China continued its ban on the Church in communion with the Holy See and continued to drive it underground. Persecution of these true Catholics continues today with at least 50 known underground clergy either incarcerated or prevented from exercising their ministry. The number of laity in reeducation camps or in prison can only be imagined.
The Vatican is in a quandary. There are no formal relations between China and the Peoples Republic of China, the Papal nuncio was expelled in 1957.
Meanwhile, the rise of the Patriotic Association continues to be strengthened. Internally, the bishop of Beijing, Michael Fe Tieshan, is now the vice-president of the National People’s Congress. With Ye Xinowen, the director of the Office of Religious Affairs, they now rule over an authoritarian department devoted to extinguishing all non-government sanctioned and controlled religions in China.
From overseas, the Patriotic Association is assisted in ways that are nothing short of incredible and China’s unwillingness to change is, in fact, strengthened by the actions of Catholic groups in the United States and elsewhere.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have been training Patriotic Association personnel in the United States since 1991. Thirty-three students are currently in their care.
Thirteen dioceses in the United States have helped almost 80 Patriotic priests, religious and laity in their studies within their areas of purview.
The Jesuits raised one-third of the $1.2 million needed for a retreat center in Shanghai.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has set up the United States Catholic China Bureau that profiles event happenings in China and acts as a vehicle that seems to serve both the underground Catholic Church and the Patriotic Association. Intended or not, it gives the latter a voice that it is not entitled to have.
Almost $5 million has been spent or given to China in some form for “religious” purposes. All of these organizations are quick to state that the USCCB and/or the Vatican have approved of their efforts.
While the Vatican (et al) might wish to keep lines of communication open with China, it is obvious that the only Catholics benefiting from this “fraternal support” are those of the Patriotic Association. The money spent can only assist the Patriotic Association because the underground Church is banned and still suffers from outright repression. The irony is only made worse when one considers that the clergy, religious and laity in communion with the Holy Father risk martyrdom as the renegade Patriotic Association continues to be financed and morally supported by Catholic organizations in the United States and elsewhere.
The Patriotic Association’s leadership must be privately laughing at the futility of these Catholic organizations in thinking that the Association will change while they are providing additional finances that actually assist their own efforts to impose their own brand of Catholicism.
Why should China change the status quo? There is no reason why they should — these “lines of communication” benefit them financially and in the training of their Patriotic Association personnel, without encumbrance.
In fact, the Patriotic Association has imposed three new rules this past spring that move it even further away from the Pope and opens up the possibility of a new wave of persecution to begin.
The time and expense of trying to placate and appease the communist regime in China in the hopes of persuading the Patriotic Association to submit to Rome’s guidance have proven itself unworkable and a travesty, especially to those who have suffered martyrdom and those still refusing to deny the true Catholic faith.
There are those who claim that this is a complex issue but there is nothing complicated about a systematic eradication of the Catholic Church in China, is there? The overwhelming evidence is apparent — wishful thinking notwithstanding.
© Copyright 2003 Catholic Exchange
Bob Baker spent three decades in the defense industry (both as a civilian and in the military). He wrote a weekly opinion column for a local newspaper, has authored articles on many different subjects, and is currently a Catholic school teacher. Bob can be reached at baker13@email.msn.com.
