Holy Saturday Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a government-approved church in Beijing. Posted on 04/04/2018 11:24:26 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
Holy Saturday Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a government-approved church in Beijing.
BEIJING — China will not allow any foreign interference in religious affairs in the country, a senior official said on Tuesday, dousing expectations of an imminent deal with the Vatican over control of the Roman Catholic Church here.
“I think there is no religion in human society that is above the state,” the official, Chen Zongrong, said during a briefing on religious affairs in China, underscoring the government’s intention to maintain strict control over all religious organizations and their believers.
Mr. Chen’s remarks came amid reports that the Vatican was prepared to make concessions to Beijing in the appointment of the church’s bishops — including by asking two “underground” bishops to step aside — in exchange for retaining some influence over those who are chosen in the future.
The prospect of a breakthrough after decades of dispute between China’s Communist leaders and a succession of popes has raised hopes but also stirred unusual public criticism of the Vatican. Some Catholic leaders have warned that concessions to Beijing could betray those who have faced pressure and even persecution by worshiping in the so-called underground church here.
[snip]
According to [Chen's] white paper, China has 200 million believers among the five major religions, which it counts as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestant Christianity. Catholics account for six million of them, the paper said, though that does not include those in the “underground” church. By other estimates, the number of Catholics exceeds 12 million.
“Religion must adapt to the society it is in,” said Mr. Chen, whose department, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, is being absorbed into a branch of the Communist Party as part of a sweeping government reorganization.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
But, although it's hard, it's much better for the Church to be "underground" than to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Chinese Communist Party.
So for now, it looks like the deal is off.
Our Lady of Beijing, pray for us.
Sounds like something Pope Francis, Cardinal Kasper and Cardinal Marx would all say.
The God of Surprises!
"Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested His supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who, being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, but to exalt it by its influence on reason alone." - Thomas Jefferson, TITLE: Statute of Religious Freedom. EDITION: Washington ed. viii, 454. EDITION: Ford ed., ii, 237. PLACE: [none given] DATE: 1779“Religion must adapt to the society it is in,” said Mr. Chen, whose department, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, is being absorbed into a branch of the Communist Party as part of a sweeping government reorganization.
Totalitarian ideologies, including the "Progressive" ideology elsewhere, demand conformity and "adaptation to the society"--one of the signs of impending tyranny for citizens in the society.
What a striking contrast!
It could still happen, though now it looks like it will not happen "imminently".
Much prayer and many tears have gone up to Heaven over this. May God protect His people from the God-rejecting tyranny of the Party --- and its sometime ally, FrancisChurch.
RE: China Insists on Control of Religion
it is no surprise that the underground church is thriving in China. China will “officially” tolerate Christian worship as long as they register with the “Three-Self Movement”. Which essentially means, any sermon the pastor preaches has to go through official scrutiny first before they are allowed to be spoken.
CONTROL is the operative word.
I know that Parolin and Sorondo are convinced this would be a diplomatic coup. They intend to keep pushing for a concordat.
As somebody pointed out, Parolin's idea of diplomacy would be handing over Jesus, Mary and Joseph to King Herod on the supposition that this would lead to dialogue.
So I didn't want you to think the whole thing has been scuttled. It's just been put off for 2 months. Supposedly. 
Mary, Mother of Chinese Christians, pray for us.
Chen sounds like a liberal.
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