Roman Catholic Church in China

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roman Catholic Church in Yunnan (late 19th century)

The Roman Catholic Church in China has a long history. Christian beliefs have existed in China in various forms since the Tang Dynasty , at least since the 8th century. In today 's People's Republic , the Roman Catholic Church has been banned since Mao's time, only a so-called “ Chinese Catholic-Patriotic Association ”, which is not allowed to maintain contact with the Vatican and does not recognize the authority of the Pope , is allowed. The Roman Catholic Church exists as an underground church . Its members are subject to state persecution. Bishops and priests are regularly imprisoned and transferred to state re-education camps , where since 1949, but especially since 1957, many of them have died or become martyrs .

Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)

The first information about Catholic missionaries from Europe in China dates back to the 13th century. The Italian Franciscan priest John of Montecorvino arrived in Beijing (Khanbalik) in 1294 . In 1299 he built a church there and in 1305 a second opposite the imperial palace. After studying the local language, he set about translating the New Testament and the Psalms . Between 6,000 and 30,000 people converted to the Christian faith around 1300. As a result, Pope Clement V sent seven Franciscan bishops in 1307 to consecrate John of Montecorvino as Archbishop of Beijing . The three of them who survived the trip consecrated it in 1308 and became bishops of Zaiton themselves one after the other . In 1312 three more bishops came to support John in his work. He died in 1328. This missionary movement had some success during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty , but ultimately had little impact.

Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911)

Adam Schall von Bell in a mandarin robe

During the Counter-Reformation there was an expansion of missionary efforts, especially in Asia. Jesuits and other Roman Catholic missionaries tried to gain a foothold in China. At first they had mixed success, but later they gained greater influence, especially in the intercultural scientific and artistic exchange, within the upper classes of China and at the Chinese court.

The permanent mission was established in 1601 through the efforts of Matteo Ricci . His path was quite subtle. He used the Chinese authorities' interest in Western technology and teaching as an entrance. He also tried to reconcile Christianity with Confucian , Taoist and Buddhist teachings.

Ricci died in 1610, but the Jesuit mission continued and became an important part of the Chinese state by 1722. In 1644 the German Jesuit Adam Schall von Bell was appointed head of the astronomical authority by the new Qing dynasty . Jesuits also occupied leadership positions in the fields of mechanics, music, visual arts and others in which special skills were required.

The Jesuits' practical handling of Confucianism later led to conflicts with the Dominicans who came to Beijing from the Philippines in the middle of the century . When asked about the salvation of Confucius, their leader Dominigo Fernandez Navarrete replied that if even Socrates , Plato, and Aristotle were not saved, “certainly neither would Confucius [be saved], who was not worth kissing their feet In response, Antonio de Gouveia , a Portuguese Jesuit, replied that Confucius would be sure to be saved, "which cannot be said of King Philip IV of Spain ."

Jesuit Theological Seminary (in 1900).

When, at the beginning of the 18th century, the future of Christianity in China seemed secure, the ritual controversy in Europe intensified . The Jesuits were accused of allowing the newly converted Chinese certain rites, such as ancestor worship , which were considered pagan in Europe. The papal legate Charles Thomas Maillard de Tournon was sent to Beijing in 1705 to get an idea of ​​the orthodoxy of these rites, which the Jesuits called social customs. Since he disregarded official etiquette (e.g. kowtowing ), he snubbed the Chinese emperor Kangxi , who had initially received him benevolently. In 1707 Tournon issued a decree in which the missionaries were obliged to repeal these rites under threat of severe canonical penalties. After Pope Clement XI. 1715 had confirmed Tournon's decree, in 1722 the Christian missionaries were expelled from China by Kangxi's son and successor Yongzheng .

People's Republic of China

Xujiahui Cathedral in Shanghai

Since 1949, following the establishment of the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Communist Party , the status of the Catholic Church as an institution of Chinese society has been highly controversial. While the Roman Catholic Church is officially banned, the Chinese government still requires all Catholic Christians to be loyal to the state and that services may only take place in state-approved churches belonging to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CPV). This forces the Catholics to break ties with the Holy See , as they are not allowed to see the Pope as head of the church. Catholics attached to the Pope celebrate their services underground for fear of arrest.

Although the Communist Party is officially a secular organization, it reserves the right to appoint priests. In doing so, she ensures that the activities of the Chinese people are not influenced by external forces. The government does not differentiate between political and religious loyalty. Thus it cannot deal with the fact that the Catholic Church can be loyal to the Holy See on the one hand and to the Chinese state at the same time.

The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is an organization that oversees the Chinese Catholic Church, according to an investigation into Chinese Catholicism by the American Catholic magazine Commonweal.

Around 60% of the bishops of the state church are now accepted by the Vatican. In the summer of 2005, the Vatican and Beijing agreed to appoint a supporting bishop in Shanghai . In the past, one of the biggest problems in relations between the Vatican and Beijing has been who appoints bishops.

As a further sign of rapprochement, Pope Benedict XVI invited . in October 2005 four Chinese bishops (two officially recognized, one underground bishop and one underground bishop who had recently converted to the recognized church) invited to the synod on the question of the Eucharist . China immediately forbade the bishops from attending the meeting.

In 2006 the number of Catholics was estimated at 13 million, including 5 million followers of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Unconfirmed estimates put 40 million Catholics in the underground church affiliated with Rome and 20 million Catholics in the state church. In contrast, estimates by the Holy Spirit Study Center in Hong Kong in 2017 amount to around 10 million Catholics in total, i.e. H. put together in the official part of the church and underground.

On May 27, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote. a letter to the Chinese Catholics dated Pentecost Sunday . Two main points become clear in his letter: on the one hand, a deep affection for the entire Catholic community in China and, on the other hand, an enthusiastic loyalty to the values ​​of the Catholic tradition in the field of ecclesiology , i.e. a passion for love and truth. He recalled these basic principles of Catholic ecclesiology so that Catholics could better understand problems relating to various issues and the more concrete aspects of the life of the Catholic community. In the letter, Pope Benedict XVI. dealt with the history of China and the Catholic Church and thus also set an example for the future of Catholics in China. The papal letter begins by calling for an open dialogue regarding the tensions between the Catholic underground community and the official Chinese church. The Pope also described some critical situations, but not in an exaggerated way, but showed understanding for both sides.

In the letter he gave "some landmarks in relation to the life of the Church and the work of evangelization in China [...]." In this letter (section 9) he names tensions:

“As you all know, one of the most delicate problems in the relationship of the Holy See with the authorities of your country is the question of the appointment of bishops. On the one hand, it can be understood that, given the social impact that this office has in the civilian sphere, in China as in the rest of the world, government authorities pay attention to the selection of those who play the important role of leaders and pastors of the local Catholic community will exercise. On the other hand, the Holy See carefully follows the appointment of bishops because it touches the very heart of the life of the Church, since the appointment of bishops by the Pope is a guarantee of the unity of the Church and hierarchical communion. For this reason, the Code of Canon Law (cf. Canon 1382) stipulates severe penalties both for the bishop who voluntarily donates episcopal ordination without an apostolic mandate, and for the recipient: such an ordination does indeed cause a painful wound in the ecclesiastical community and is a serious violation of the canonical order. "

Cardinal Joseph Zen , Bishop of Hong Kong, spoke on June 30, 2007 in his public statement on the letter to Chinese Catholics of a ray of hope, the hope that Pope Benedict XVI. gave to the Chinese Church with this letter. With his statements, Aloysius Jin Luxian, Bishop of Shanghai, also reaffirmed the joy that this letter triggered in the Catholic communities. Qin Gang, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China , on the other hand, asserted after the letter was published that diplomatic relations with the Vatican would only be established if the Vatican broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Underground Bishop Joseph Wei Jingyi of Qigihar, northeastern China, published a two-page pastoral letter in July 2007 calling on his community to read and obey Benedict's letter. In this context he called it a "new milestone in the development of the Chinese Church." In September 2007, a coadjutor for the Guiyang diocese was jointly appointed by the Vatican and the state church.

On May 1, 2014, a monastery of a contemplative religious community was founded for the first time since 1949 , namely that of the Augustinian Sisters in Lintou in the Shanxi province .

Every year on May 24th, the Catholic Church calls for the World Day of Prayer for China. Pope Benedict XVI has this day of prayer. deliberately placed on the day of the traditional pilgrimage to the Sheshan Basilica , the largest Marian shrine in China near Shanghai.

On January 28, 2016, Pope Francis gave an interview to Asia Times columnist and senior researcher at Renmin University of China, Francesco Sisci, about China and the Chinese people. It was mainly about the dialogue between the western world and China. It should not be guided by fear of China's rise, but rather take place on the same wavelength as China. Pope Francis said that dialogue does not mean capitulating, but accepting a challenge for the sake of peace. The Pope made it clear in this interview that he recognized the greatness of China and admired the wealth of cultures. He also sent Chinese New Year greetings to the Chinese people and President Xi Jinping. These were the first greetings ever sent from a Pope to a Chinese ruler at the beginning of the new lunar year for 2,000 years. This interview was a step towards a dialogue between the People's Republic and the Holy See.

From April 22nd to 23rd, 2016, the National Conference on Religious Work took place in Beijing. Xi Jinping's speech clarified the Chinese government's view of religions. Catholicism as well as the other officially recognized religions served the purpose of bringing the people together in order to achieve the two goals of the century, meaning the achievement of a society of modest prosperity within one hundred years of the establishment of the Communist Party of China and the complete transformation of China into a socialist modernized state within one hundred years of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In addition, Xi spoke of a necessary increase in the "extent of legalization in religious work" in order to be able to exercise more control.

The law, which will come into force on February 1, 2004, will amend the “Regulations for Religious Affairs” (Chinese: 宗教 事物 条例; Pinyin : Zōngjiào shìwù tiáolì), which was enacted by the State Council on November 30, 2004 and came into force on March 1, 2005 stepped, replaced, the fronts between the Vatican and the Chinese government hardened again. In 77 paragraphs in nine chapters, subjects such as religious organizations, religious training centers and religious activities were covered in great detail. The scope for religious life was thus restricted even more.

In the bishops' conference, Catholicism must adapt to socialist society in order to develop in China, said Guo Jincai, whose appointment as bishop Pope Benedict 2010 was a "serious violation of canon law", said in an interview with the Global Times . Guo is also a delegate of the Chinese bogus parliament. This role, he said, helps him guide believers in serving the country's political stability.

At the beginning of Holy Week 2018, Chinese authorities temporarily took underground Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin into custody. Guo is one of the two recently asked by the Vatican to step down in favor of a bishop appointed by the Chinese government. According to Asia News, the arrest is related to Guo's refusal to celebrate Easter Mass with a Beijing-loyal bishop. Guo was released after the Easter celebrations.

Hong Kong and Macau

The Catholic Church is free to operate in Macau and Hong Kong . So Carrie Lam , the head of administration of the Chinese special administrative region Hong Kong, a Catholic. Despite this, Pope John Paul II was refused a visit to Hong Kong in 1999, a decision that was probably made under pressure from the People's Republic of China . Both territories are separate dioceses, the Diocese of Hong Kong and the Diocese of Macau .

Diplomatic relations with the Vatican

Tsinan Cathedral

The Vatican is the only European country that does not have diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Diplomatic relations with Beijing were broken off in 1951. Conversely, the fact that the Vatican is the only European country to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan has a noticeable impact on relations with China.

Relations between the Vatican and the People's Republic of China have been very tense in the past and often difficult for both sides. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CPV) is a division of the Chinese Religious Affairs Authority and oversees Catholics in China.

In 2007, the Vatican repeatedly indicated on various occasions that it wanted to establish full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and would even move its embassy from Taiwan to China in return. Nonetheless, an obstacle remained that only the Pope alone has the right to appoint bishops. However, the current bishops of the CPV are called by the government. In the past few years this has led to further strains in Sino-Vatican relations.

Some, including Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun , see the process between Vietnam and the Vatican regarding the resumption of diplomatic relations as a model for normalizing Sino-Vatican relations. At the end of 2004, before the death of John Paul II, Vatican and Chinese diplomats held talks with the aim of normalizing relations. At that time, China sent a quasi-official delegation to the Vatican. Such attempts were made under Benedict XVI. continued.

The China Commission of the Roman Curia, made up of curial cardinals, religious and representatives of the Chinese episcopate, expressed concern on April 13, 2011 about the "general climate of disorientation and concern for the future of the Church in China".

The provisions of the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference for the election and ordination of bishops (Chinese: 中国 天主教 主教 团 关于 选 圣 主教 的 规定; Pinyin: Zhōngguó tiānzhǔjiào zhǔjiào tuán guānyú xuīn shèng zhǔjiào de gudìng) were published on April 24, 2013 Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference published. This was a greatly expanded revision of the "Provisions of the Chinese Catholic Bishops 'Conference for the Election and Ordination of Bishops" from 1993. These provisions strengthened the position of the Bishops' Conference and thus also of the National Patriotic Association by participating in all important steps the electoral and ordination process, starting with the approval for the initiation of the electoral process up to the determination of the consecrating bishops, which further restricted the dioceses' scope of action.

From the Vatican's point of view, an agreement on episcopal ordinations and the division of the church is urgently needed. In around 20 dioceses the bishopric is vacant or the incumbents have long passed the retirement age of 75 years. Rome fears that the state church could soon fill these positions with men from its own ranks. Above all, however, the Vatican's China policy fits the pastoral line of the Pope, whose enigmatic mantra is: "Time is more important than space." This sentence from Pope Francis' program Evangelii gaudium from 2013 is the basis for promoting an agreement that initially failed repeatedly.

In January 2018, there was information about an agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China, but it has not been officially confirmed. In the words of Cardinal State Secretary Pietro Parolin , the negotiator on the ecclesiastical side, the Holy See is primarily concerned with maintaining ecclesiastical unity and finding “realistic pastoral solutions” for the conflict. In addition to a compromise procedure for the appointment of bishops, a solution must also be found for the bishops already ordained who are only recognized by one side. Of the currently 101 Chinese bishops, seven are consecrated at the instigation of the Chinese authorities without the consent of the Pope and are therefore illegitimate from the church's point of view, three of them have been excommunicated. 30 to 40 bishops, in turn, belong to the “underground”, that is, they are consecrated in secret with papal approval and are therefore illegal from the government's point of view.

The news also spread that the bishops loyal to the Pope in the underground churches of Shantou and Mindong had been asked to resign by envoys from the Vatican. They should make way for the local official church leaders, which would be a great concession to Beijing. The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, Joseph Zen, made it clear to the Vatican in an open letter that he believes this is the wrong way to deal with the problem of episcopal ordinations. Pope Francis is also said to plan to withdraw the excommunication of the seven bishops who were punished with excommunication because they had accepted their appointments by the state church against the will of the Pope.

In the meantime, repression against Christians in the People's Republic has increased sharply again. In the province of Henan , crosses have been removed from church roofs, minors are prohibited from entering places of worship, even a Catholic kindergarten is said to have been closed and the grave of an underground bishop was devastated. A bishop loyal to Rome was kidnapped. Security forces stormed masses to drag children from worship. The authorities banned the online sale of Bibles and now want to bring translations "in accordance with Chinese tradition" on the market. The suppression of the Christian faith, but also the regime’s fear of the subversive power of religions, are limitless. The coercive measures have slowed the negotiations.

On September 22, 2018, Papal State Deputy Foreign Minister Antoine Camilleri and China's Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Chao signed a provisional agreement that gives Beijing a say in the appointment of dignitaries. As the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, Beijing recognizes the Pope as the supreme authority of the Catholic Church in China, while the Vatican in turn allows the Communist Party to have a say in the appointment of bishops in the country, which is normally an exclusive right of the Pope. Sandro Magister, the Vatican expert for the Italian news magazine L'Espresso, describes the agreement as a kneeling before the authoritarian state: “We are witnessing a spectacular regression of the church, it is sacrificing the fruits of a centuries-long battle against political powers and for autonomous self-government. [...] So now the political authorities in China should be able to choose the bishops, and the church would only have a weak veto on the proposed names. ”According to Cardinal Emeritus Joseph Zen Ze-kiun , the deal is a devil's work and a sell-off out of sheer ignorance. Born in Shanghai, Zen was the bishop of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009. Zen expressed its incomprehension that China and the Vatican did not publish details about the agreement.

See also

literature

The Immaculate Conception of Tientsin
  • Vincent Cronin: Wise Man from the West . Fortuna Books, London 1955 (via Matteo Ricci ).
  • CW Allen, Kelly, Walsh: Jesuits at the Court of Beijing . Shanghai 1933.
  • Luis Gutheinz: Chinese theology in the making. A look into the workshop of Christian-Chinese theology . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Ostfildern 2012, ISBN 978-3-7867-2849-8 , pp. 67-88 (on the Catholic Church and theology in China).
  • Malek, Roman (Ed.), Hong Kong. Church and society in transition, materials and documents China-Zentrum, Sankt Augustin - Nettetal 1997, 564 pp., ISBN 3805003978
  • Malek, Roman and Criveller, Gianni (Eds.): Light a Candle. Encounters and Friendship with China, Festschrift in Honor of Angelo Lazzarotto PIME, Monumenta Serica Institute, Sankt Augustin - Steyler Verlag, Nettetal 2010, 564 pp., Illus., ISBN 978-3-8050-0563-0 .
  • Leung, Beatrice and Liu, William T .: The chinese catholic church in conflict: 1949-2001, Universal Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida 2004, ISBN 1581125143
  • Tang, Edmond and Wiest, Jean-Paul (Eds.): The catholic church in modern china, Orbis Books, New York, United States, 1993, ISBN 978-1625640864
  • Filoni, Fernando / Fei Luoni 斐洛尼: “Five Years after the Publication of Benedict XVI's Letter to the Church in China [Jiaozong zhi han zai Zhongguo de jiaohui: wu nian hou de fansi 教宗 致函 在 中國 的 教會 ： 五年後 的 反思] “, in: Ding 鼎 / Tripod XXXII (2012) 167, 5-12 (Eng.); 4-10 (chin.)
  • Heyndrickx CICM, Jeroom: "Confrontation and Lack of Dialogue Cause a New China-Vatican Conflict", in: Tripod XXVI (2006) 141, 12-17
  • Heyndrickx CICM, Jeroom: "Toward a Chinese Church in Dialogue: Exploring Ways of Cooperation with the Church in China", in: Tripod XXVI (2006) 143, 37-53
  • Hua Min / Hua Min 華 民: "Sino-Vatican Relations in the Last Ten Years: Review and Prospects [Qian tan shi duo nian lai de Zhong-Fan guanxi ji qianjing 淺談 十 多年來 的 中 梵 關係 及 前景]" (chin./engl.), in: Ding 鼎 / Tripod XXXV (2015) 178, 14-20 (chin.), 85-92 (engl.)
  • Lam, Anthony: "Unauthorized Ordinations An Obstacle to Sino-Vatican Relations [Zhong-fan jianjiao qianlu reng duo kaoyan (bianzhe de hua)] (Chinese / English)", in: Tripod XXVI (2006) 141, 7-11 (Eng.), 2-5 (Chin.)
  • Tong, John / Tang Han 湯 漢: "The Future of the Sino-Vatican Dialogue from an Ecclesiological Point of View [Cong jiaohuixue jiaodu zhanwang Zong-Fan jiaotan 從 教會 學 角度 展望 中 梵 交談]" (Chinese / English) , in: Ding 鼎 / Tripod XXXVII (2017) 184, 7-16 (chin.), 71-80 (engl.)
  • Donath, Ansgar, “The Situation of the Catholic Church in China”, in: Green Series 2010, No. 106, 5-14
  • Wenzel-Teuber, Katharina: “Surviving on Separate Paths - The Catholic Church in China”, in: Forum Weltkirche 2003, No. 1, 31-34
  • Sisci, Francesco: Pope Francis urges the world not to fear China's rise: Interview with Pope Francis in Asia Times, China heute (2016), No. 1 (189), 16-23
  • Cervellera, Bernardo: A healthy skepticism towards a Sino-Vatican agreement does not mean that we are "against the Pope", China heute (2018), No. 1 (197), 27-28
  • Tripod Staff / Ben kan bianjishi 本刊 編輯 室: "China and Vatican Meeting in Beijing Confirmed [Jiaoting guowuqing quezheng Zhong-Fan Beijing huimian 教廷 國務卿 確證 中 梵 北京 會面]" (Chinese / English), in: Ding 鼎 / Tripod XXXV (2015) 179, 46-48 (chin.), 100-101 (engl.)
  • Information: Notes on the Sino-Vatican Dialogue, China Today (2018), No. 1 (197), 4-18
  • Documentation: Voices on the Sino-Vatican Dialogue, China Today (2018), No. 1 (197), 19-30
  • Wenzel-Teuber, Katharina: Statistics on Religion and Church in the PR China, China heute (2018), No. 1 (197), 31-44
  • Documentation: Xi Jinping's programmatic speech at the National Conference on Religious Work, China Today (2016), No. 2 (190), 83-86
  • Comments from China on the letter from Pope Benedict XVI. To Chinese Catholics, China Today (2007), 4-5 (152-153), 153-158
  • Documentation Letter from the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. To the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and the lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China, China Today (2007), nos. 4-5 (152-153), 136-152
  • Documentation: Religious Affairs Regulations: Revised, China Today (2017), No. 3 (195), 160-172
  • Documentation: Regulations of the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference for the Election and Ordination of Bishops, China Today (2013), No. 2 (178), 89-91

Web links

Commons : Roman Catholic Church in China  - Collection of Pictures, Videos, and Audio Files

foreign language

German

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Charles Ralph Boxer: Fidalgos in the Far East 1550-1770 . Oxford University Press, 1968, 164.
  2. ↑ The Vatican and Beijing cooperate in the appointment of a supporting bishop of Shanghai ( Memento of September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) In: AsiaNews , June 29, 2005 (English)
  3. ↑ Pope invites Chinese bishops to the Synod on the Question of the Eucharist. Catholic World News , Sept. 8, 2005
  4. ↑ China names new Catholic bishop. BBC, May 7, 2006 (English)
  5. ↑ Catholicism is still illegal in China. ( Memento of April 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Cardinal Kung Foundation (English).
  6. ↑ Wenzel-Teuber, Katharina: Statistics on religion and church in the PR China . Ed .: China today. tape 197 , no. 1 , 2018, p. 40 .
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  8. ^ Letter from Pope Benedict XVI. to Chinese Catholics, May 27, 2007
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  10. ↑ 'Underground' bishop urges faithful to implement Pope's letter . Catholicnews (English)
  11. ^ Vatican approval for Guiyang Episcopal ordination made public . AsiaNews , September 10, 2007 (English)
  12. ^ Catholic News Agency (KNA), May 14, 2014.
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  15. ↑ China Today (Ed.): Documentation: Regulations for Religious Affairs: Revised Version . tape 195 , no. 3 , 2017, p. 160 .
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  19. ↑ a b Blueprint for Vatican-China talks . BBC, March 6, 2007.
  20. ↑ China and the Vatican Hint At Renewing Formal Ties . NYT , May 22, 2005
  21. ↑ Clear announcement by the China Commission: Unauthorized episcopal ordinations "illegitimate" . Vatican Radio , April 14, 2011
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  27. ↑ Müller-Meiningen, Julius: Pact with the dragon. Zeit, June 15, 2018, accessed July 2, 2018 .
  28. ↑ Lea Deuber and Oliver Meiler: Bishops need the blessing of the CP. Süddeutsche Zeitung, September 23, 2018, accessed on September 26, 2018 .
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