The Bishop of Xi´an´s Long March from Beijing to Rome
His name is Anthony Li Du´an and he´s bishop approved by the Chinese government. And yet he´s extremely loyal to the pope (perhaps the secret "in pectore" cardinal chosen by John Paul II last year). Meanwhile, however, another Catholic b
by Sandro Magister
ROMA - On March 10 the Vatican Press Office released the following statement which broke years of diplomatic silence over Catholic bishops and Christians being persecuted in China:
"The Holy See is worried and saddened by the news reported by international agencies of the arrest of a Chinese bishop in the region of Heilongjiang. Whatever the accusations are against the bishop, they should be made public, as happens in any lawful state. The Holy See, for its part, has no reason to doubt the innocence of the bishop".
The bishop held under arrest is Wei Jingyi from the far northern diocese of Qiqihar. The news of the prelate´s detainment was released in the United States by the Kung Foundation in Stamford, Connecticut. The news was republished on March 9 by the Rome-based "AsiaNews", a news agency headed by PIME missionary Fr. Bernardo Cervellera, an expert in Chinese political and religious affairs and former editor-in-chief of the Vatican press agency, "Fides."
Then on March 11, in response to the Vatican´s protest, China´s foreign ministry spokesman, Liu Jianchao, said: "Police authorities have not taken any restrictive measures" against Bishop Wei Jingyi and stressed that "the reported rumors do not correspond with the facts."
When interviewed by Reuters, a Chinese Religious Affairs Bureau official was more explicit in his comments. During the interview he said the bishop "had traveled abroad with an ID card bearing his name, but with a photo that wasn't his." Furthermore, he added, the bishop was stopped for questioning.
Yet "AsiaNews" sources in China confirmed the bishop was being detained at a prison in Harbin and said that it is unlikely he attempted to travel abroad.
At 46 years of age, Wei Jingyi is one of the youngest bishops in the so-called "underground" Chinese Catholic Church. The bishop operates in a Church that is not subject to regular government checks on its religious activities and is therefore accused of having "relations with a foreign state" because his fidelity to Rome.
Prior to his ordination in 1995, Bishop Wei Jingyi served a four year sentence of hard labor He also headed Chinese Underground Bishops´ Conference during an unspecified period of time. The ecclesial institution was then dissolved following a series of arrests.
There are still other underground bishops imprisoned in China. Msgr. Su Zhimin, of the Baoding diocese, and his auxiliary, An Shuxin, are two bishops who been in prison for the longest amount of time since their arrest in 1996.
However even the "Patriotic" Catholic Church (created in opposition to Rome by the communist government and monitored by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association) is undergoing persecution because of its spontaneous reconciliation with the pope, despite its allegiance to the Chinese government. In a recent article published in "La Civiltà Cattolica", it was reported that 49 out of the total 79 patriotic bishops have returned to communion with the pope. These 49 prelates are added to another 49 underground bishops to make for a total of 98 bishops who now profess loyalty to Rome. These are reliable figures, given that every line of the magazine is meticulously checked by the Vatican state secretary´s office before going to print.
* * *At the time underground Bishop Wei Jingyi was arrested another Chinese bishop, this time from the patriotic Church, released a magnificent interview with "Mondo e Missione", a Milan-based monthly magazine of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME).
The prelate who agreed to the interview was the bishop of Xi´an, Msgr. Anthony Li Du´an. Xi´an is the ancient capital of the former Chinese Empire and is considered the cradle of Christianity in China. Xi´an is one of 8 Catholic dioceses in the province of Shaanxi where there is one major and one minor seminary with 150 and 50 students each. The diocese has over 265 priests and 600 nuns in addition to a hundred or female novice sisters The diocese has over 400 churches, all restored and of recent construction, filled 20,000 Catholic faithful (out of 260,000 in the entire province). There are about 12-15 million Catholics living throughout China, 4 million of whom are members of the Patriotic Church.
Bishop Li Du´an, age 76, plays a key role in the immediate development of Catholicism in China. Between 1954 and 1979 he was imprisoned time and again for a total of 18 years. In 1987 he was ordained Bishop of Xi´an in accordance with government approval. However he is also recognized by the Holy See and is well respected by both patriotic and underground Catholics. He courageously refused to participate in a Jan. 6 2000 liturgy in Beijing during which 5 new patriotic bishops were illegitimately ordained. He showed the same courage in October of the same year when rallying against a government campaign launched against the Vatican´s ordination of 120 martyrs in China. Among his many other talents bishop Li Du´an is also a polyglot, being fluent in several languages including Italian and Latin.
Many suspect that bishop Li Du´an is the secret "in pectore" cardinal chosen by the pope in 2003.
The interview was conducted by Fr. Gianni Criveller, a PIME missionary who has been stationed in Hong Kong and China for 12 years. Qu Xiao Ling, the Patriotic Association´s provincial secretary, was present at the interview. Yet her presence didn´t stop bishop Li Du´an from making major statements in support of Rome. In particular he said that a main difference between Rome and Beijing is that:
"The pope has the right to govern and supervise all the Church´s activities, including the election of bishops. Should the pope not give his consent, then [the bishop] is not consecrated."
Another important remark he made regarding government control over patriotic Church activities was:
"The Patriotic Association cannot act above the Church, but must act within the Church and answer to the bishop."
Still another comment was made concerning relations between patriotic and underground Catholics:
"I am not rebellious, since in no way whatsoever do I deny the pope´s primacy. We have the same faith and we both support the Holy Father. Hence we should join together in terms of traditional Church organization and doctrine."
Below is the full, unedited version of the interview published in the March 2004 issue of "Mondo e Missione":
Allegiance to Peter at all costs An interview with Anthony Li Du´an, bishop of Xi´anQ. - Your Excellency, let´s begin with the issue of the pope´s primacy. What do you have to say about this?
A. - "The pope is the head of the [Catholic] Church. The apostolic nature of Church organization consists in the fact that it´s governance descends from the apostles, starting with Peter as its first leader. The pope has the right to govern and supervise all the Church´s activities, including the election of bishops. We will never deny the pope has the right to do so, since this is an essential element of our Catholic faith. Now the pope´s right to govern must be taken as true while; in China, however, we have a religious policy sustaining the Church´s independent and democratic administration. How can both [systems] be compatible? I think the Holy See and the Chinese government have the means to resolve this dilemma. The most urgent problem now involves electing new bishops. Under today´s circumstances we cannot go ahead and consecrate new bishops without government authorization. If the government is not against the candidate, we then proceed to present him to Rome for approval. Should the pope not give his consent, then the bishop is not consecrated."
Q. - What is your opinion regarding diplomatic relations between China and the Holy See?
A. - "I think both parties want to reestablish relations and I believe the pope personally wants this. The greatest stumbling block is still that of choosing and consecrating bishops. Indeed there are difficulties, yet it must be also said that great steps have been taken in the right direction. The Chinese government, for example, recognizes that the pope has the primary role in the Catholic Church. We publicly pray for the pope and have no reticence about saying the Church is one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic. I feel confident saying that there is ever less distance between the two."
Q. -In 2003 the patriotic Church approved three documents endorsing the principle of democratic administration of Church affairs. What do you think about this?
A. - " If these documents are in line with Catholic tradition, then we can accept them. Yet the role of Church hierarchy must be absolutely preserved, just as Christ wanted. The power of bishops, as successors to the apostles, is a true form of governing. Certainly each bishop has his limits and must lead the Church as God´s servant. Yet his power is real, not symbolic. No one can take the place of a bishop in leading the Church. Vatican Council II promoted the participation of the laity in the Church. While a bishop must open himself up to and accept their contribution, he is still their leader. His role [as leader] can never be deprived of such significance!"
Q. - What do you think about the role of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA)?
A. - "Under present circumstances we acknowledge the existence of the CCPA. If its whole purpose were to act as an association of Catholic faithful, then there would be no problems with it. However, the Patriotic Association cannot act above the Church, but must act within the Church and answer to the bishop"
Q. - What do you have to say about the so-called "Underground Church" in China?
A. - "All Catholics in China are united under the same faith. As far as I know, the pope respects both communities and urges us toward reconciliation and unity. Some members of the underground Church say we have rebelled against the pope. I belong to the ´open Church´. But I am not rebellious, since in no way whatsoever do I deny the pope´s primacy. We have the same faith and we both support the Holy Father. Hence we should join together in terms of traditional Church organization and doctrine."
Q. -Modernization seems to lead to secularization. How is the Church reacting to this challenge?
A. - "Secularization is a universal challenge, one which now both the Church and China must face. Society is quickly moving toward [a culture based on] money and hedonism. We Christians, even priests, religious and bishops, live in society and we are naturally influenced by it. This is especially true for young priests who see persons of their same age getting rich and living comfortable lives. On the contrary, the lives of priests in China are very hard, while leading lives of poverty and without most human comforts and satisfactions. It is easy for them to become discouraged. The same holds true for young nuns and sisters."
Q. -Do you believe this is one the causes of the crisis in priestly and religious vocations?
A. - "Indeed I do. Here in Xi'an, thank goodness, we have had only two cases of priests who left the priesthood. But there have been more in the rest of the country, where 5-10% abandon their vocation. Moreover, some priests find themselves in serious moral dilemmas. Yet it´s to be understood - especially in the poorest dioceses - that they lead very difficult lives. Catholics can´t help them and the diocese cannot give them salaries to live on. Thus they view their lives are miserable. The situation is even worse for nuns. The superficial cause of their crisis lays in their emotional instability. Yet it´s clear that deep down the problem is linked to a lack of spirituality. If they were to have greater spiritual formation they would be better to deal with their emotional and financial problems."
Q. - What is the situation like for new vocations?
A. - "Indeed we have many priests in Shaanxi - 260 for 260,000 Catholics - and we still are having many new vocations. However, after the boom years of the 1980s, vocations have progressively gone down in number since the 1990s and some families even discourage their children from becoming priests. The situation is quite bad in the costal provinces. In Shanghai, for example, there aren´t hardly any more vocations. Some of our seminarians went to be formed and serve in those dioceses."
Q. - Are seminarians and female religious receiving adequate formation?
A. - "At our Xi´an seminary we have 16 priests in charge of formation and teaching. This is the highest number in all of China. But I must admit that our quality of teaching and formation is of a rather low quality. Another problem is the lack of spiritual directors and hence spiritual and moral disciple is not practiced perfectly. Even the formation of our religious men and women is insufficient in terms of allowing them to mature as well as become psychologically and emotionally stable. We do all we can in Xi´an to educate and form our young seminarians and novice nuns. Unfortunately, the quality of formation in other parts of the country is even worse."
Q. - How can you tell whether someone has a real vocation or not?
A. - "Even this is a serous problem for us. Many of our Catholics have traditional mindsets. Once someone enters the seminary or convent, they think they have to become a priest or nun. Should they leave, it is grounds for embarrassment or it is assumed they did something wrong. Personal freedom is still not taken much into consideration. We don´t have persons with proper, up-to-date skills in tackling this serious issue. We have called in priests and nuns from Taiwan and Hong Kong to help us out. But it wasn´t enough. There is an audiovisual tool made in Taiwan we use to help verify whether someone has a vocation is real or not. After I show it to seminarians and nuns I often talk to them about this topic. But much more is needed to personally help every one of them."
Q. - What do people have to say about female religious life?
A. - "Unfortunately male chauvinism is still deeply embedded in both Chinese culture and the Church. We still have priests and bishops who think the purpose of nuns is to serve and obey them. Awareness of the dignity of female religious life is still not widespread throughout the Chinese Church. When I speak to female religious I start with discussing papal writings, urge them to keep a high sense of dignity and self-respect and not to be at the beck and call of anyone. I also encourage them to study hard and become qualified to take on new roles and responsibilities In this way everyone can see for themselves just how wonderful female religious are for the Church and society.
Q. - What kinds of social services is the Church involved in?
A. - "Since 2002 our diocesan offices have been active in social services backed by Misereor (an organization of the German Catholic Church sponsoring international cooperation). It works out quite well, with our 5 full-time operators and 3 volunteer staff. We sponsor small projects in poor villages throughout the province of Shaanxi, like building wells, irrigation systems and supporting health and educational services (e.g. for hair-lip operations and building schools). We also provide care to orphans and relief to families following natural disasters. This is a new development for the Church in China. And I must say our diocese is at the forefront in this field."
Q. - Is the faith still being passed on in Catholic families?
A. - "Once upon a time the faith was successfully passed on from parents to children. Today this still happens, but not as easily. Nowadays families need help in this duty, since they cannot tackle the dangers of secularization all by themselves. In recent years we organized Catholic catechism courses for Chinese youth as well as children´s ´summer camps.´ However government authorities have forbidden us to organize such activities any more."
Q. - What sort of prospects are there for evangelization in China?
A. - "It is well know that many young people are attracted to the Christian faith. Even a certain number of intellectuals are open to Christianity."
Q. - In this field it seems that Protestants have a greater rate of "success". Is this true?
A. - "Certainly. They are growing at a faster rate. They are more active than we are. They are required to ´bear fruit," that is, bring new members into their communities And their members are warmly and enthusiastically accepted, much more than in our Church. The teachings they present to new members are much simpler and more basic than ours. It is easier for them to understand and accept the faith. Moreover, they have greater contact with students and intellectuals, who are enamored with a biblical faith which doesn´t require duties and obligations of them. However, we must be happy with their success. In one way or another they hear the words of Christ. And when some of them deepen their faith they end up appreciating the treasures of Catholic tradition and doctrine."
Q. - So it seems the Catholic Church lacks a missionary spirit. Can you comment on this?
A. - "There is a missionary spirit within the Chinese Catholic Church. And I could give you many examples. But our Church is still growing slowly and we are not capable of satisfying every interest found in society. We will do a better job at it. I am optimistic. I can personally say that in the last 20 years there have been changes for the better. This is the best time to evangelize China. People have never been so open to and in favor of the Christian faith."
Q. - China is undergoing a change in generations. Do you trust that young bishops will the lead the Church well into the future?
A. - "In ten years there will be only young bishops leading the Chinese Church. I won´t be there, but I have well-founded hopes they will do a good job. And I believe God will help them out"
Q. - What can the Church, for example in Italy, learn from Church in China?
A. - "We are a Church struggling amid great difficulties and we realize that we do not bear enough witness to Jesus Christ. We have nothing to offer the Church in Italy. We are still poor, we still need to receive help. I went to Italy in 1992 and visited Rome, its basilicas and the tombs of the apostles. Rome is so important. It bears the testimony of the apostles and is home to early Christianity. This is the real glory for Italian Catholics, who have always kept their Catholic faith and have been ever-faithful to the Church and the pope. I hope we will continue to learn from the fidelity of Italian Catholics."
__________
Link to the Milan-based monthly magazine, "Mondo e Missione", of the PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) missionaries:
> "Mondo e Missione"This March 27 PIME has organized a conference on:
> "Fede cristiana e cultura cinese ieri e oggi"Moreover, PIME has proposed a Prayer Day for the Church in China. As "Mondo e Missione" co-director, Gerolamo Fazzini, said: "This is a typically Christian initiative. Anyone can rally against world hunger or land mines. These are things ´even pagans do´. But praying is something we Christians do - not just anybody! China is in great need of prayer, even in the ecumenical sense, seeing as Protestants in the country have the same problems as Catholics."
__________
The news agency run by China expert, Fr. Bernardo Cervellera:
> "AsiaNews"__________
The article published in the March 6 2004 issue of "La Civiltà Cattolica", reporting statistics on the Chinese patriotic and underground Churches, is written by Jesuit Fr. Benoît Vermander, of the Taipei Institute in Taiwan, and its title is: "Is there are religious reawakening in China has the title of the article?" A link to the magazine:
> "La Civiltà Cattolica"__________
On this website about China:
> China and the Vatican: The Points of Disagreement (10.9.2003)
> The Shanghai Circle Rewards its Bishop - for Patriotic Accomplishments (19.3.2003)
> The Vatican and China. Bishop Zen´s Anti-Diplomatic Battle (7.2.2003)
> Cina. Un digiuno, sette documenti e settemila deportati (4.4.2002)
> 8 marzo. Storie di donne a Dakar e Pechino (8.3.2002)
> George W. Bush missionario della fede. In Cina (22.2.2002)
> Jiang Zemin dottore in teologia (21.2.2002)
> Nel Celeste Impero è sempre Quaresima (13.2.2002)
> Lo strano ritiro spirituale di Jiang Zemin e compagni (14.1.2002)
> Cina. L´assordante silenzio del papa (25.10.2001)
> Vaticano e Cina un po´ più vicini (18.10.2001)
> Atti dei martiri nella Cina del XX secolo (30.10.2000)
> Atti dei martiri nella Cina del XX secolo. Un documento (30.10.2000)
> Quel cardinale che dal cielo fa tremare la Cina (16.3.2000)
> Perché al papa la Cina dice no (21.5.1999)
> Sant'Antonio è ricomparso in Cina (8.1.1999)
__________
English translation by Michael A. Severance.
Go to the home page of
> www.chiesa.espressonline.it/english, to access the latest articles and links to other resources.
Sandro Magister´s e-mail address is
s.magister@espressoedit.it
__________
15.3.2004
