Pope Benedict XVI to
The Catholic Church In China
Letter Of The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI To The Bishops, Priests,
Consecrated Persons And Lay Faithful Of The Catholic Church In The People'S
Republic Of China
Greeting
1. Dear Brother Bishops, dear priests, consecrated persons and
all the faithful of the Catholic Church in China: ‘‘We always thank God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have
heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all
the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven ... We have not
ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy
of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power,
according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy''
(Col 1:3-5, 9-11).
These words of the Apostle Paul are highly appropriate for expressing
the sentiments that I, as the Successor of Peter and universal Pastor of
the Church, feel towards you. You know well how much you are present in my
heart and in my daily prayer and how deep is the relationship of communion
that unites us spiritually.
Purpose of the Letter
2. I wish, therefore, to convey to all of you the expression of
my fraternal closeness. With intense joy I acknowledge your faithfulness to
Christ the Lord and to the Church, a faithfulness that you have manifested
‘‘sometimes at the price of grave sufferings'',1 since ‘‘it has been granted
to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but
also suffer for his sake'' (Phil 1:29). Nevertheless, some important aspects
of the ecclesial life of your country give cause for concern.
Without claiming to deal with every detail of the complex matters
well known to you, I wish through this letter to offer some guidelines concerning
the life of the Church and the task of evangelization in China, in order
to help you discover what the Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, ‘‘the key, the
centre and the purpose of the whole of human history'' 2 wants from you.
PART ONE: THE SITUATION
OF THE CHURCH THEOLOGICAL ASPECTS
Globalization, modernity and atheism
3. As I turn my attention towards
your People, which has distinguished itself among the other peoples of Asia
for the splendour of its ancient civilization, with all its experience of
wisdom, philosophy, art and science, I am pleased to note how, especially
in recent times, it has also moved decisively towards achieving significant
goals of socio-economic progress, attracting the interest of the entire world.
As my venerable predecessor Pope John Paul II once said, ‘‘The
Catholic Church for her part regards with respect this impressive thrust
and far-sighted planning, and with discretion offers her own contribution
in the promotion and defence of the human person, and of the person's values,
spirituality and transcendent vocation. The Church has very much at heart
the values and objectives which are of primary importance also to modern
China: solidarity, peace, social justice, the wise management of the phenomenon
of globalization''.3
The pressure to attain the desired and necessary economic and
social development and the search for modernity are accompanied by two different
and contrasting phenomena, both of which should nonetheless be evaluated
with equal prudence and a positive apostolic spirit. On the one hand, especially
among the young, one can detect a growing interest in the spiritual and transcendent
dimension of the human person, with a consequent interest in religion, particularly
in Christianity. On the other hand, there are signs, in China too, of the
tendency towards materialism and hedonism, which are spreading from the big
cities to the entire country.4
In this context, in which you are called to live and work, I want
to remind you of what Pope John Paul II emphasized so strongly and vigorously:
the new evangelization demands the proclamation of the Gospel 5 to modern
man, with a keen awareness that, just as during the first Christian millennium
the Cross was planted in Europe and during the second in the American continent
and in Africa, so during the third millennium a great harvest of faith will
be reaped in the vast and vibrant Asian continent.6
" ‘Duc in altum' (Lk 5:4). These words ring out for us today,
and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present
with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: ‘Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever' (Heb 13:8)''.7 In China
too the Church is called to be a witness of Christ, to look forward with
hope, and – in proclaiming the Gospel – to measure up to the new challenges
that the Chinese People must face.
The word of God helps us, once
again, to discover the mysterious and profound meaning of the Church's path
in the world. In fact ‘‘the subject of one of the most important visions
of the Book of Revelation is [the] Lamb in the act of opening a scroll, previously
closed with seven seals that no one had been able to break open. John is
even shown in tears, for he finds no one worthy of opening the scroll or
reading it (cf. Rev 5:4). History remains indecipherable, incomprehensible.
No one can read it. Perhaps John's weeping before the mystery of a history
so obscure expresses the Asian Churches' dismay at God's silence in the face
of the persecutions to which they were exposed at the time. It is a dismay
that can clearly mirror our consternation in the face of the serious difficulties,
misunderstandings and hostility that the Church also suffers today in various
parts of the world. These are trials that the Church does not of course deserve,
just as Jesus himself did not deserve his torture. However, they reveal both
the wickedness of man, when he abandons himself to the promptings of evil,
and also the superior ordering of events on God's part''.8
Today, as in the past, to proclaim the Gospel means to preach
and bear witness to Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, the new Man, conqueror
of sin and death. He enables human beings to enter into a new dimension, where
mercy and love shown even to enemies can bear witness to the victory of the
Cross over all weakness and human wretchedness. In your country too, the
proclamation of Christ crucified and risen will be possible to the extent
that, with fidelity to the Gospel, in communion with the Successor of the
Apostle Peter and with the universal Church, you are able to put into practice
the signs of love and unity (‘‘even as I have loved you, that you also love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you
have love for one another ... even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,
that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have
sent me'' – Jn 13:34-35; 17:21).
Willingness to engage
in respectful and constructive dialogue
4. As universal Pastor of the
Church, I wish to manifest sincere gratitude to the Lord for the deeply-felt
witness of faithfulness offered by the Chinese Catholic community in truly
difficult circumstances. At the same time, I sense the urgent need, as my
deep and compelling duty and as an expression of my paternal love, to confirm
the faith of Chinese Catholics and favour their unity with the means proper
to the Church.
I am also following with particular interest the events of the
entire Chinese People, whom I regard with sincere admiration and sentiments
of friendship, to the point where I express the hope ‘‘that concrete forms
of communication and cooperation between the Holy See and the People's Republic
of China may soon be established. Friendship is nourished by contacts, by
a sharing in the joy and sadness of different situations, by solidarity and
mutual assistance''.9 And pursuing this line of argument, my venerable predecessor
added: ‘‘It is no secret that the Holy See, in the name of the whole Catholic
Church and, I believe, for the benefit of the whole human family, hopes for
the opening of some form of dialogue with the authorities of the People's
Republic of China. Once the misunderstandings of the past have been overcome,
such a dialogue would make it possible for us to work together for the good
of the Chinese People and for peace in the world''.10
I realize that the normalization of relations with the People's
Republic of China requires time and presupposes the good will of both parties.
For its part, the Holy See always remains open to negotiations, so necessary
if the difficulties of the present time are to be overcome.
This situation of misunderstandings and incomprehension weighs
heavily, serving the interests of neither the Chinese authorities nor the
Catholic Church in China. As Pope John Paul II stated, recalling what Father
Matteo Ricci wrote from Beijing,11 ‘‘so too today the Catholic Church seeks
no privilege from China and its lead- ers, but solely the resumption of dialogue,
in order to build a relationship based upon mutual respect and deeper understanding''.12
Let China rest assured that the Catholic Church sincerely proposes to offer,
once again, humble and disinterested service in the areas of her competence,
for the good of Chinese Catholics and for the good of all the inhabitants
of the country.
As far as relations between the political community and the Church
in China are concerned, it is worth calling to mind the enlightening teaching
of the Second Vatican Council, which states: ‘‘The Church, by reason of her
role and competence, is not identified with any political community nor is
she tied to any political system. She is at once the sign and the safeguard
of the transcendental dimension of the human person''. And the Council continues:
‘‘The political community and the Church are autonomous and independent of
each other in their own fields. They are both at the service of the personal
and social vocation of the same individuals, though under different titles.
Their service will be more efficient and beneficial to all if both institutions
develop better cooperation according to the circumstances of place and time''.13
Likewise, therefore, the Catholic
Church which is in China does not have a mission to change the structure
or administration of the State; rather, her mission is to proclaim Christ
to men and women, as the Saviour of the world, basing herself – in carrying
out her proper apostolate – on the power of God. As I recalled in my Encyclical
Deus Caritas Est, ‘‘The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political
battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must
not replace the State. Yet at the same time she cannot and must not remain
on the sidelines in the fight for justice. She has to play her part through
rational argument and she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without which
justice, which always demands sacrifice, cannot prevail and prosper. A just
society must be the achievement of politics, not of the Church. Yet the promotion
of justice through efforts to bring about openness of mind and will to the
demands of the common good is something which concerns the Church deeply''.14
In the light of these unrenounceable principles, the solution
to existing problems cannot be pursued via an ongoing conflict with the legitimate
civil authorities; at the same time, though, compliance with those authorities
is not acceptable when they interfere unduly in matters regarding the faith
and discipline of the Church. The civil authorities are well aware that the
Church in her teaching invites the faithful to be good citizens, respectful
and active contributors to the common good in their country, but it is likewise
clear that she asks the State to guarantee to those same Catholic citizens
the full exercise of their faith, with respect for authentic religious freedom.
Communion between particular
Churches in the universal Church
5. Beloved Catholic Church in
China, you are a small flock present and active within the vastness of an
immense People journeying through history. How stirring and encouraging these
words of Jesus are for you: ‘‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom'' (Lk 12:32)! ‘‘You are the salt of
the earth ... you are the light of the world'': therefore ‘‘let your light
so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to
your Father who is in heaven'' (Mt 5:13, 14, 16).
In the Catholic Church which is in China, the universal Church
is present, the Church of Christ, which in the Creed we acknowledge to be
one, holy, catholic and apostolic, that is to say, the universal community
of the Lord's disciples.
As you know, the profound unity which binds together the particular
Churches found in China, and which likewise places them in intimate communion
with all the other particular Churches throughout the world, has its roots
not only in the same faith and in a common Baptism, but above all in the
Eucharist and in the episcopate.15 Likewise, the unity of the episcopate,
of which ‘‘the Roman Pontiff, as the Successor of Peter, is the perpetual
and visible source and foundation'',16 continues down the centuries through
the apostolic succession and is the foundation of the identity of the Church
in every age with the Church built by Christ on Peter and on the other Apostles.17
Catholic doctrine teaches that
the Bishop is the visible source and foundation of unity in the particular
Church entrusted to his pastoral ministry.18 But in every particular Church,
in order that she may be fully Church, there must be present the supreme
authority of the Church, that is to say, the episcopal College together with
its Head, the Roman Pontiff, and never apart from him. Therefore the ministry
of the Successor of Peter belongs to the essence of every particular Church
‘‘from within''.19 Moreover, the communion of all the particular Churches
in the one Catholic Church, and hence the ordered hierarchical communion
of all the Bishops, successors of the Apostles, with the Successor of Peter,
are a guarantee of the unity of the faith and life of all Catholics. It is
therefore indispensable, for the unity of the Church in individual nations,
that every Bishop should be in communion with the other Bishops, and that
all should be in visible and concrete communion with the Pope.
No one in the Church is a foreigner, but all are citizens of the
same People, members of the same Mystical Body of Christ. The bond of sacramental
communion is the Eucharist, guaranteed by the ministry of Bishops and priests.20
The whole of the Church which is in China is called to live and
to manifest this unity in a richer spirituality of communion, so that, taking
account of the complex concrete situations in which the Catholic community
finds itself, she may also grow in a harmonious hierarchical communion. Therefore,
Pastors and faithful are called to defend and to safeguard what belongs to
the doctrine and the tradition of the Church.
Tensions and divisions within
the Church: pardon and reconciliation
6. Addressing the whole Church
in his Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, my venerable predecessor
Pope John Paul II, stated that an ‘‘important area in which there has to
be commitment and planning on the part of the universal Church and the particular
Churches [is] the domain of communion (koinonia), which embodies and reveals
the very essence of the mystery of the Church. Communion is the fruit and
demonstration of that love which springs from the heart of the Eternal Father
and is poured out upon us through the Spirit whom Jesus gives us (cf. Rom
5:5), to make us all ‘one heart and one soul' (Acts 4:32). It is in building
this communion of love that the Church appears as ‘sacrament', as the ‘sign
and instrument of intimate union with God and of the unity of the human race.'
The Lord's words on this point are too precise for us to diminish their import.
Many things are necessary for the Church's journey through history, not least
in this new century; but without charity (agape) all will be in vain. It
is again the Apostle Paul who in his hymn to love reminds us: even if we
speak the tongues of men and of angels, and if we have faith ‘to move mountains',
but are without love, all will come to ‘nothing' (cf. 1 Cor 13:2). Love is
truly the ‘heart' of the Church''.21
These matters, which concern the very nature of the universal
Church, have a particular significance for the Church which is in China.
Indeed you are aware of the problems that she is seeking to overcome – within
herself and in her relations with Chinese civil society – tensions, divisions
and recriminations.
In this regard, last year, while speaking of the nascent Church,
I had occasion to recall that ‘‘from the start the community of the disciples
has known not only the joy of the Holy Spirit, the grace of truth and love,
but also trials that are constituted above all by disagreements about the
truths of faith, with the consequent wounds to communion. Just as the fellowship
of love has existed since the outset and will continue to the end (cf. 1
Jn 1:1ff.), so also, from the start, division unfortunately arose. We should
not be surprised that it still exists today ... Thus, in the events of the
world but also in the weaknesses of the Church, there is always a risk of
losing faith, hence, also love and brotherhood. Consequently it is a specific
duty of those who believe in the Church of love and want to live in her to
recognize this danger too''.22
The history of the Church teaches
us, then, that authentic communion is not expressed without arduous efforts
at reconciliation.23 Indeed, the purification of memory, the pardoning of
wrong-doers, the forgetting of injustices suffered and the loving restoration
to serenity of troubled hearts, all to be accomplished in the name of Jesus
crucified and risen, can require moving beyond personal positions or viewpoints,
born of painful or difficult experiences. These are urgent steps that must
be taken if the bonds of communion between the faithful and the Pastors of
the Church in China are to grow and be made visible.
For this reason, my venerable predecessor on several occasions
addressed to you an urgent invitation to pardon and reconciliation. In this
regard, I am pleased to recall a passage from the message that he sent you
at the approach of the Holy Year 2000: ‘‘In your preparation for the Great
Jubilee, remember that in the biblical tradition this moment always entailed
the obligation to forgive one another's debts, to make satisfaction for injustices
committed, and to be reconciled with one's neighbour. You too have heard
the proclamation of the ‘great joy prepared for all peoples': the love and
mercy of the Father, the Redemption accomplished in Christ. To the extent
that you yourselves are ready to accept this joyful proclamation, you will
be able to pass it on, by your lives, to the men and women around you. My
ardent desire is that you will respond to the interior promptings of the
Holy Spirit by forgiving one another whatever needs to be forgiven, by drawing
closer to one another, by accepting one another and by breaking down all
barriers in order to overcome every possible cause of division. Do not forget
the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: ‘By this all will know that you are
my disciples, if you have love for one another' (Jn 13:35). I rejoiced when
I learned that you intend your most precious gift on the occasion of the
Great Jubilee to be unity among yourselves and unity with the Successor of
Peter. This intention can only be a fruit of the Spirit who guides the Church
along the arduous paths of reconciliation and unity''.24
We all realize that this journey cannot be accomplished overnight,
but be assured that the whole Church will raise up an insistent prayer for
you to this end.
Keep in mind, moreover, that
your path of reconciliation is supported by the example and the prayer of
so many ‘‘witnesses of the faith'' who have suffered and have forgiven, offering
their lives for the future of the Catholic Church in China. Their very existence
represents a permanent blessing for you in the presence of our Heavenly Father,
and their memory will not fail to produce abundant fruit.
Ecclesial communities and State agencies: relationships to be
lived in truth and charity.
7. A careful analysis of the
aforementioned painful situation of serious differences (cf. section 6 above),
involving the lay faithful and their Pastors, highlights among the various
causes the significant part played by entities that have been imposed as
the principal determinants of the life of the Catholic community. Still today,
in fact, recognition from these entities is the criterion for declaring a
community, a person or a religious place legal and therefore ‘‘official''.
All this has caused division both among the clergy and among the lay faithful.
It is a situation primarily dependent on factors external to the Church,
but it has seriously conditioned her progress, giving rise also to suspicions,
mutual accusations and recriminations, and it continues to be a weakness
in the Church that causes concern.
Regarding the delicate issue
of the relations to be maintained with the agencies of the State, particular
enlightenment can be found in the invitation of the Second Vatican Council
to follow the words and modus operandi of Jesus Christ. He, indeed, ‘‘did
not wish to be a political Messiah who would dominate by force 25 but preferred
to call himself the Son of Man who came to serve, and ‘to give his life as
a ransom for many' (Mk 10:45). He showed himself as the perfect Servant of
God 26 who ‘will not break a bruised reed or quench a smouldering wick' (Mt
12:20). He recognized civil authority and its rights when he ordered tribute
to be paid to Caesar, but he gave clear warning that the greater rights of
God must be respected: ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
and to God, the things that are God's' (Mt 22:21). Finally, he brought his
revelation to perfection when he accomplished on the Cross the work of redemption
by which he achieved salvation and true freedom for the human race. For he
bore witness to the truth 27 but refused to use force to impose it on those
who spoke out against it. His Kingdom does not establish its claims by force,28
but is established by bearing witness to and listening to the truth and it
grows by the love with which Christ, lifted up on the Cross, draws people
to himself (cf. Jn 12:32)''.29
Truth and charity are the two supporting pillars of the life of
the Christian community. For this reason, I have observed that ‘‘the Church
of love is also the Church of truth, understood primarily as fidelity to
the Gospel entrusted by the Lord Jesus to his followers ... However, if the
family of God's children is to live in unity and peace, it needs someone
to keep it in the truth and guide it with wise and authoritative discernment:
this is what the ministry of the Apostles is required to do. And here we
come to an important point. The Church is wholly of the Spirit but has a
structure, the apostolic succession, which is responsible for guaranteeing
that the Church endures in the truth given by Christ, from whom the capacity
to love also comes ... The Apostles and their successors are therefore the
custodians and authoritative witnesses of the deposit of truth consigned
to the Church, and are likewise the ministers of charity. These are two aspects
that go together ... Truth and love are the two faces of the same gift that
comes from God and, thanks to the apostolic ministry, is safeguarded in the
Church and handed down to us, to our present time!''.30
Therefore the Second Vatican Council underlines that "those also
have a claim on our respect and charity who think and act differently from
us in social, political, and religious matters. In fact, the more deeply,
through courtesy and love, we come to understand their ways of thinking,
the more easily will we be able to enter into dialogue with them''. But,
as the same Council admonishes us, "love and courtesy of this kind should
not, of course, make us indifferent to truth and goodness''.31
Considering "Jesus' original plan'',32 it is clear that the claim
of some entities, desired by the State and extraneous to the structure of
the Church, to place themselves above the Bishops and to guide the life of
the ecclesial community, does not correspond to Catholic doctrine, according
to which the Church is "apostolic'', as the Second Vatican Council underlined.
The Church is apostolic "in her origin because she has been built on ‘the
foundation of the Apostles' (Eph 2:20). She is apostolic in her teaching
which is the same as that of the Apostles. She is apostolic by reason of
her structure insofar as she is taught, sanctified, and guided until Christ
returns by the Apostles through their successors who are the Bishops in communion
with the Successor of Peter''.33 Therefore, in every individual particular
Church, "it is in the name of the Lord that the diocesan Bishop [and only
he] leads the flock entrusted to him, and he does so as the proper, ordinary
and immediate Pastor''; 34 at a national level, moreover, only a legitimate
Episcopal Conference can formulate pastoral guidelines, valid for the entire
Catholic community of the country concerned.35
Likewise, the declared purpose
of the afore-mentioned entities to implement "the principles of independence
and autonomy, self-management and democratic administration of the Church''
36 is incompatible with Catholic doctrine, which from the time of the ancient
Creeds professes the Church to be "one, holy, catholic and apostolic''.
In the light of the principles here outlined, Pastors and lay
faithful will recall that the preaching of the Gospel, catechesis and charitable
activity, liturgical and cultic action, as well as all pastoral choices,
are uniquely the competence of the Bishops together with their priests in
the unbroken continuity of the faith handed down by the Apostles in the Sacred
Scriptures and in Tradition, and therefore they cannot be subject to any
external interference.
Given this difficult situation, not a few members of the Catholic
community are asking whether recognition from the civil authorities – necessary
in order to function publicly – somehow compromises communion with the universal
Church. I am fully aware that this problem causes painful disquiet in the
hearts of Pastors and faithful. In this regard I maintain, in the first place,
that the requisite and courageous safeguarding of the deposit of faith and
of sacramental and hierarchical communion is not of itself opposed to dialogue
with the authorities concerning those aspects of the life of the ecclesial
community that fall within the civil sphere. There would not be any particular
difficulties with acceptance of the recognition granted by civil authorities
on condition that this does not entail the denial of unrenounceable principles
of faith and of ecclesiastical communion. In not a few particular instances,
however, indeed almost always, in the process of recognition the intervention
of certain bodies obliges the people involved to adopt attitudes, make gestures
and undertake commitments that are contrary to the dictates of their conscience
as Catholics. I understand, therefore, how in such varied conditions and circumstances
it is difficult to determine the correct choice to be made. For this reason
the Holy See, after restating the principles, leaves the decision to the
individual Bishop who, having consulted his presbyterate, is better able
to know the local situation, to weigh the concrete possibilities of choice
and to evaluate the possible consequences within the diocesan community.
It could be that the final decision does not obtain the consensus of all
the priests and faithful. I express the hope, however, that it will be accepted,
albeit with suffering, and that the unity of the diocesan community with
its own Pastor will be maintained.
It would be good, finally, if Bishops and priests, with truly
pastoral hearts, were to take every possible step to avoid giving rise to
situations of scandal, seizing opportunities to form the consciences of the
faithful, with particular attention to the weakest: all this should be lived
out in communion and in fraternal understanding, avoiding judgements and
mutual condemnations. In this case too, it must be kept in mind, especially
where there is little room for freedom, that in order to evaluate the morality
of an act it is necessary to devote particular care to establishing the real
intentions of the person concerned, in addition to the objective shortcoming.
Every case, then, will have to be pondered individually, taking account of
the circumstances.
8. In the Church – the People of God – only the sacred ministers,
duly ordained after sufficient instruction and formation, may exercise the
office of ‘‘teaching, sanctifying and governing''. The lay faithful may,
with a canonical mission from the Bishop, perform an ancillary ecclesial
ministry of handing on the faith.
In recent years, for various
reasons, you, my Brother Bishops, have encountered difficulties, since persons
who are not "ordained'', and sometimes not even baptized, control and take
decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment
of Bishops, in the name of various State agencies. Consequently, we have
witnessed a demeaning of the Petrine and episcopal ministries by virtue of
a vision of the Church according to which the Supreme Pontiff, the Bishops
and the priests risk becoming de facto persons without office and without
power. Yet in fact, as stated earlier, the Petrine and episcopal ministries
are essential and integral elements of Catholic doctrine on the sacramental
structure of the Church. The nature of the Church is a gift of the Lord Jesus,
because "his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work
of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ'' (Eph 4:11-13).
Communion and unity – let me repeat (cf. section 5 above) – are
essential and integral elements of the Catholic Church: therefore the proposal
for a Church that is ‘‘independent'' of the Holy See, in the religious sphere,
is incompatible with Catholic doctrine.
I am aware of the grave difficulties which you have to address
in the aforementioned situation in order to remain faithful to Christ, to
his Church and to the Successor of Peter. Reminding you that – as Saint Paul
said (cf. Rom 8:35-39) – no difficulty can separate us from the love of Christ,
I am confident that you will do everything possible, trusting in the Lord's
grace, to safeguard unity and ecclesial communion even at the cost of great
sacrifices.
Many members of the Chinese episcopate who have guided the Church
in recent decades have offered and continue to offer a shining testimony to
their own communities and to the universal Church. Once again, let a heartfelt
hymn of praise and thanksgiving be sung to the "chief Shepherd'' of the flock
(1 Pet 5:4): in fact, it must not be forgotten that many Bishops have undergone
persecution and have been impeded in the exercise of their ministry, and
some of them have made the Church fruitful with the shedding of their blood.
Modern times and the consequent challenge of the new evangelization highlight
the role of the episcopal ministry. As John Paul II said to the Pastors from
every part of the world who gathered in Rome for the celebration of the Jubilee,
"the Pastor is the first to take responsibility for and to encourage the
ecclesial community, both in the requirement of communion and in the missionary
outreach. Regarding the relativism and subjectivism which mar so much of
contemporary culture, Bishops are called to defend and promote the doctrinal
unity of their faithful. Concerned for every situation in which the faith
has been lost or is unknown, they work with all their strength for evangelization,
preparing priests, religious and lay people for this task and making the
necessary resources available''.37
On the same occasion, my venerable predecessor recalled that "the
Bishop, a successor of the Apostles, is someone for whom Christ is everything:
'For to me to live is Christ ...' (Phil 1:21). He must bear witness to this
in all his actions. The Second Vatican Council teaches: 'Bishops should devote
themselves to their apostolic office as witnesses of Christ to all' (Decree
Christus Dominus, 11)''.38
Concerning episcopal service,
then, I take the opportunity to recall something I said recently: "The Bishops
are primarily responsible for building up the Church as a family of God and
a place of mutual help and availability. To be able to carry out this mission,
you received with episcopal consecration three special offices: the munus
docendi, the munus sanctificandi and the munus regendi, which all together
constitute the munus pascendi. In particular, the aim of the munus regendi
is growth in ecclesial communion, that is, in building a community in agreement
and listening to the Apostles' teaching, the breaking of bread, prayer and
fellowship. Closely linked to the offices of teaching and of sanctifying,
that of governing – the munus regendi precisely – constitutes for the Bishop
an authentic act of love for God and for one's neighbour, which is expressed
in pastoral charity''.39
As in the rest of the world, in China too the Church is governed
by Bishops who, through episcopal ordination conferred upon them by other
validly ordained Bishops, have received, together with the sanctifying office,
the offices of teaching and governing the people entrusted to them in their
respective particular Churches, with a power that is conferred by God through
the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders. The offices of teaching and governing
‘‘however, by their very nature can be exercised only in hierarchical communion
with the head and members of the college'' of Bishops.40 In fact, as the
Council went on to say, "a person is made a member of the episcopal body
in virtue of the sacramental consecration and by hierarchical communion with
the head and members of the college''.41
Currently, all the Bishops of the Catholic Church in China are
sons of the Chinese People. Notwithstanding many grave difficulties, the Catholic
Church in China, by a particular grace of the Holy Spirit, has never been
deprived of the ministry of legitimate Pastors who have preserved the apostolic
succession intact. We must thank the Lord for this constant presence, not
without suffering, of Bishops who have received episcopal ordination in conformity
with Catholic tradition, that is to say, in communion with the Bishop of
Rome, Successor of Peter, and at the hands of validly and legitimately ordained
Bishops in observance of the rite of the Catholic Church.
Some of them, not wishing to be subjected to undue control exercised
over the life of the Church, and eager to maintain total fidelity to the
Successor of Peter and to Catholic doctrine, have felt themselves constrained
to opt for clandestine consecration. The clandestine condition is not a normal
feature of the Church's life, and history shows that Pastors and faithful
have recourse to it only amid suffering, in the desire to maintain the integrity
of their faith and to resist interference from State agencies in matters
pertaining intimately to the Church's life. For this reason the Holy See
hopes that these legitimate Pastors may be recognized as such by governmental
authorities for civil effects too – insofar as these are necessary – and
that all the faithful may be able to express their faith freely in the social
context in which they live.
Other Pastors, however, under
the pressure of particular circumstances, have consented to receive episcopal
ordination without the pontifical mandate, but have subsequently asked to
be received into communion with the Successor of Peter and with their other
brothers in the episcopate. The Pope, considering the sincerity of their
sentiments and the complexity of the situation, and taking into account the
opinion of neighbouring Bishops, by virtue of his proper responsibility as
universal Pastor of the Church, has granted them the full and legitimate
exercise of episcopal jurisdiction. This initiative of the Pope resulted
from knowledge of the particular circumstances of their ordination and from
his profound pastoral concern to favour the reestablishment of full communion.
Unfortunately, in most cases, priests and the faithful have not been adequately
informed that their Bishop has been legitimized, and this has given rise
to a number of grave problems of conscience. What is more, some legitimized
Bishops have failed to provide any clear signs to prove that they have been
legitimized. For this reason it is indispensable, for the spiritual good
of the diocesan communities concerned, that legitimation, once it has occurred,
is brought into the public domain at the earliest opportunity, and that the
legitimized Bishops provide unequivocal and increasing signs of full communion
with the Successor of Peter.
Finally, there are certain Bishops – a very small number of them
– who have been ordained without the Pontifical mandate and who have not asked
for or have not yet obtained, the necessary legitimation. According to the
doctrine of the Catholic Church, they are to be considered illegitimate,
but validly ordained, as long as it is certain that they have received ordination
from validly ordained Bishops and that the Catholic rite of episcopal ordination
has been respected. Therefore, although not in communion with the Pope, they
exercise their ministry validly in the administration of the sacraments,
even if they do so illegitimately. What great spiritual enrichment would
ensue for the Church in China if, the necessary conditions having been established,
these Pastors too were to enter into communion with the Successor of Peter
and with the entire Catholic episcopate! Not only would their episcopal ministry
be legitimized, there would also be an enrichment of their communion with
the priests and the faithful who consider the Church in China part of the
Catholic Church, united with the Bishop of Rome and with all the other particular
Churches spread throughout the world.
In individual nations, all the legitimate Bishops constitute an
Episcopal Conference, governed according to its own statutes, which by the
norms of canon law must be approved by the Apostolic See. Such an Episcopal
Conference expresses the fraternal communion of all the Bishops of a nation
and treats the doctrinal and pastoral questions that are significant for
the entire Catholic community of the country without, however, interfering
in the exercise of the ordinary and immediate power of each Bishop in his
own diocese. Moreover, every Episcopal Conference maintains opportune and
useful contacts with the civil authorities of the place, partly in order
to favour cooperation between the Church and the State, but it is obvious
that an Episcopal Conference cannot be subjected to any civil authority in
questions of faith and of living according to the faith (fides et mores,
sacramental life), which are exclusively the competence of the Church.
In the light of the principles expounded above, the present College
of Catholic Bishops of China42 cannot be recognized as an Episcopal Conference
by the Apostolic See: the "clandestine'' Bishops, those not recognized by
the Government but in communion with the Pope, are not part of it; it includes
Bishops who are still illegitimate, and it is governed by statutes that contain
elements incompatible with Catholic doctrine.
9. As all of you know, one of the most delicate problems in relations
between the Holy See and the authorities of your country is the question
of episcopal appointments. On the one hand, it is understandable that governmental
authorities are attentive to the choice of those who will carry out the important
role of leading and shepherding the local Catholic communities, given the
social implications which – in China as in the rest of the world – this function
has in the civil sphere as well as the spiritual. On the other hand, the
Holy See follows the appointment of Bishops with special care since this
touches the very heart of the life of the Church, inasmuch as the appointment
of Bishops by the Pope is the guarantee of the unity of the Church and of
hierarchical communion. For this reason the Code of Canon Law (cf. c. 1382)
lays down grave sanctions both for the Bishop who freely confers episcopal
ordination without an apostolic mandate and for the one who receives it:
such an ordination in fact inflicts a painful wound upon ecclesial communion
and constitutes a grave violation of canonical discipline.
The Pope, when he issues the apostolic mandate for the ordination
of a Bishop, exercises his supreme spiritual authority: this authority and
this intervention remain within the strictly religious sphere. It is not,
therefore, a question of a political authority, unduly asserting itself in
the internal affairs of a State and offending against its sovereignty.
The appointment of Bishops for a particular religious community
is understood, also in international documents, as a constitutive element
of the full exercise of the right to religious freedom.43 The Holy See would
desire to be completely free to appoint Bishops;44 therefore, considering
the recent particular developments of the Church in China, I trust that an
accord can be reached with the Government so as to resolve certain questions
regarding the choice of candidates for the episcopate, the publication of
the appointment of Bishops, and the recognition – concerning civil effects
where necessary – of the new Bishops on the part of the civil authorities.
Finally, as to the choice of candidates for the episcopate, while
knowing your difficulties in this regard, I would like to remind you that
they should be worthy priests, respected and loved by the faithful, models
of life in the faith, and that they should possess a certain experience in
the pastoral ministry, so that they are equipped to address the burdensome
responsibility of a Pastor of the Church.45 Whenever it proves impossible
within a diocese to find suitable candidates to occupy the episcopal see,
the cooperation of Bishops in neighbouring dioceses can help to identify
suitable candidates.
PART TWO: GUIDELINES
FOR PASTORAL LIFE
Sacraments, governance of dioceses, parishes
10. In recent times difficulties
have emerged, linked to individual initiatives taken by Pastors, priests
and lay faithful, who, moved by generous pastoral zeal, have not always respected
the tasks or responsibilities of others.
In this regard, the Second Vatican Council reminds us that, if
on the one hand individual Bishops "as members of the episcopal college and
legitimate successors of the Apostles, by Christ's arrangement and decree
[are] bound to be solicitous for the entire Church'', on the other hand they
"exercise their pastoral office over the portion of the People of God assigned
to them, not over other Churches nor over the Church universal''.46
Moreover, faced with certain problems that have emerged in various
diocesan communities during recent years, I feel it incumbent upon me to
recall the canonical norm according to which every cleric must be incardinated
in a particular Church or in an Institute of consecrated life and must exercise
his own ministry in communion with the diocesan Bishop. Only for good reasons
may a cleric exercise his ministry in another diocese, but always with the
prior agreement of the two diocesan Bishops, that is, the Ordinary of the
particular Church in which he is incardinated and the Ordinary of the particular
Church for whose service he is destined.47
In not a few situations, then, you have faced the problem of concelebration
of the Eucharist. In this regard, I remind you that this presupposes, as
conditions, profession of the same faith and hierarchical communion with
the Pope and with the universal Church. Therefore it is licit to concelebrate
with Bishops and with priests who are in communion with the Pope, even if
they are recognized by the civil authorities and maintain a relationship
with entities desired by the State and extraneous to the structure of the
Church, provided – as was said earlier (cf. section 7 above, paragraph 8)
– that this recognition and this relationship do not entail the denial of
unrenounceable principles of the faith and of ecclesiastical communion.
The lay faithful too, who are animated by a sincere love for Christ
and for the Church, must not hesitate to participate in the Eucharist celebrated
by Bishops and by priests who are in full communion with the Successor of
Peter and are recognized by the civil authorities. The same applies for all
the other sacraments.
Concerning Bishops whose consecrations took place without the
pontifical mandate yet respecting the Catholic rite of episcopal ordination,
the resulting problems must always be resolved in the light of the principles
of Catholic doctrine. Their ordination – as I have already said (cf. section
8 above, paragraph 12) – is illegitimate but valid, just as priestly ordinations
conferred by them are valid, and sacraments administered by such Bishops
and priests are likewise valid. Therefore the faithful, taking this into
account, where the eucharistic celebration and the other sacraments are concerned,
must, within the limits of the possible, seek Bishops and priests who are
in communion with the Pope: nevertheless, where this cannot be achieved without
grave inconvenience, they may, for the sake of their spiritual good, turn
also to those who are not in communion with the Pope.
I consider it opportune, finally,
to point out to you what canonical legislation provides in order to help
diocesan Bishops to carry out their respective pastoral duty. Every diocesan
Bishop is invited to make use of indispensable instruments of communion and
cooperation within the diocesan Catholic community: the diocesan curia, the
presbyteral council, the college of consultors, the diocesan pastoral council
and the diocesan finance council. These agencies express communion, they
favour the sharing of common responsibilities and are of great assistance
to the Pastors, who can thus avail themselves of the fraternal cooperation
of priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful.
The same is true of the various councils that canon law provides
for parishes: the parish pastoral council and the parish finance council.
Both for dioceses and for parishes,
particular attention must be devoted to the Church's temporal goods, moveable
and immoveable, which must be legally registered in the civil sphere in the
name of the diocese or parish and never in the name of individual persons
(that is, the Bishop, parish priest or a group of the faithful). Meanwhile,
the traditional pastoral and missionary guideline that can be neatly summarized
in the principle: "nihil sine Episcopo''; retains all its validity.
From the analysis of the problems outlined above, it emerges clearly
that any real solution will be rooted in the promotion of communion, which
draws its vigour and impetus, as from a source, from Christ, the icon of
the Father's love. Charity, which is always above everything (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-12),
will be the force and the criterion in pastoral work for the construction
of an ecclesial community capable of making the Risen Christ present to modern
man.
Ecclesiastical provinces
11. Numerous administrative
changes have taken place in the civil sphere during the last fifty years.
This has also involved various ecclesiastical circumscriptions, which have
been eliminated or regrouped or have been modified in their territorial configuration
on the basis of the civil administrative circumscriptions. In this regard,
I wish to confirm that the Holy See is prepared to address the entire question
of the circumscriptions and ecclesiastical provinces in an open and constructive
dialogue with the Chinese Episcopate and – where opportune and helpful –
with governmental authorities.
Catholic communities
12. I am well aware that the
diocesan and parochial communities, spread over the vast Chinese territory,
demonstrate a particular liveliness of Christian life, witness of faith and
pastoral initiative. It is consoling for me to note that, despite past and
present difficulties, the Bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful
have maintained a profound awareness of being living members of the universal
Church, in communion of faith and life with all the Catholic communities
throughout the world. They know in their hearts what it means to be Catholic.
And it is precisely from this Catholic heart that the commitment must likewise
issue forth to make manifest and effective, both within individual communities
and in relations between different communities, that spirit of communion,
understanding and forgiveness which – as was said earlier (cf. section 5
above, paragraph 4, and section 6) – is the visible seal of an authentic
Christian life. I am sure that the Spirit of Christ, just as he helped the
communities to keep the faith alive in time of persecution, will today help
all Catholics to grow in unity.
As I have already observed (cf.
section 2 above, paragraph 1, and section 4, paragraph 1), members of Catholic
communities in your country – especially Bishops, priests and consecrated
persons – are unfortunately not yet allowed to live and to express fully
and visibly certain aspects of their belonging to the Church and their hierarchical
communion with the Pope, since free contact with the Holy See and with other
Catholic communities in various countries is ordinarily impeded. It is true
that in recent years the Church has enjoyed greater religious freedom than
in the past. Nevertheless it cannot be denied that grave limitations remain
that touch the heart of the faith and that, to a certain degree, suffocate
pastoral activity. In this regard I renew my earnest wish (cf. section 4
above, paragraphs 2, 3, 4) that in the course of a respectful and open dialogue
between the Holy See and the Chinese Bishops on the one hand, and the governmental
authorities on the other, the difficulties mentioned may be overcome and
thus a fruitful understanding may be reached that will prove beneficial to
the Catholic community and to social cohesion.
Priests
13. I would now like to address
a special reflection and an invitation to priests – especially those ordained
in recent years – who have undertaken the path of the pastoral ministry with
such generosity. It seems to me that the current ecclesial and socio-political
situation renders ever more urgent the need to draw light and strength from
the well-springs of priestly spirituality, which are God's love, the unconditional
following of Christ, passion for proclamation of the Gospel, faithfulness
to the Church and generous service of neighbour.48 How can I fail to recall,
in this regard, as an encouragement for all, the shining examples of Bishops
and priests who, in the difficult years of the recent past, have testified
to an unfailing love for the Church, even by the gift of their own lives
for her and for Christ?
My dear priests! You who bear "the burden of the day and the scorching
heat'' (Mt 20:12), who have put your hand to the plough and do not look back
(cf. Lk 9:62): think of those places where the faithful are waiting anxiously
for a priest and where for many years, feeling the lack of a priest, they
have not ceased to pray for one to arrive. I know that among you there are
confrères who have had to deal with difficult times and situations,
adopting positions that cannot always be condoned from an ecclesial point
of view and who, despite everything, want to return to full communion with
the Church. In the spirit of that profound reconciliation to which my venerable
predecessor repeatedly invited the Church in China,49 I turn now to the Bishops
who are in communion with the Successor of Peter, so that with a paternal
spirit they may evaluate these questions case by case and give a just response
to that desire, having recourse – if necessary – to the Apostolic See. And,
as a sign of this desired reconciliation, I think that there is no gesture
more significant than that of renewing as a community – on the occasion of
the priestly day of Holy Thursday, as happens in the universal Church, or
on another occasion that might be considered more opportune – the profession
of faith, as a witness to the full communion attained, for the edification
of the Holy People of God entrusted to your pastoral care, and to the praise
of the Most Holy Trinity.
Furthermore, I realize that
in China too, as in the rest of the Church, the need for an adequate ongoing
formation of the clergy is emerging. Hence the invitation, addressed to you
Bishops as leaders of ecclesial communities, to think especially of the young
clergy who are increasingly subject to new pastoral challenges, linked to
the demands of the task of evangelizing a society as complex as present-day
Chinese society. Pope John Paul II reminded us of this: ongoing formation
of priests "is an intrinsic requirement of the gift and sacramental ministry
received; and it proves necessary in every age. It is particularly urgent
today, not only because of rapid changes in the social and cultural conditions
of individ- uals and peoples among whom priestly ministry is exercised, but
also because of that ‘new evangelization' which constitutes the essential
and pressing task of the Church at the end of the second millennium''.50
Vocations and religious formation
14. During the last fifty years,
the Church in China has never lacked an abundant flowering of vocations to
the priesthood and to consecrated life. For this we must thank the Lord,
because it is a sign of vitality and a reason for hope. Moreover, in the
course of the years, many indigenous religious congregations have emerged:
Bishops and priests know from experience what an indispensable contribution
women religious make to catechesis and to parish life in all its forms; moreover,
care for the most needy, offered in cooperation with the local civil authorities,
is an expression of that charity and service of neighbour that are the most
credible witness of the power and vitality of the Gospel of Jesus.
I am aware, however, that this flowering is accompanied, today,
by not a few difficulties. The need therefore emerges both for more careful
vocational discernment on the part of Church leaders, and for more in-depth
education and instruction of aspirants to the priesthood and religious life.
Notwithstanding the precariousness of the means available, for the future
of the Church in China it will be necessary to take steps to ensure, on the
one hand, particular attention in the care of vocations and, on the other
hand, a more solid formation with regard to the human, spiritual, philosophical-theological
and pastoral aspects, to be carried out in seminaries and religious institutes.
In this regard, the formation for celibacy of candidates for the
priesthood deserves particular mention. It is important that they learn to
live and to esteem celibacy as a precious gift from God and as an eminently
eschatological sign which bears witness to an undivided love for God and
for his people, and configures the priest to Jesus Christ, Head and Bridegroom
of the Church. This gift, in fact, in an outstanding way "expresses the priest's
service to the Church in and with the Lord'' 51 and has a prophetic value
for today's world.
As for the religious vocation, in the present context of the Church
in China it is necessary that its two dimensions be seen ever more clearly:
namely, on the one hand, the witness of the charism of total consecration
to Christ through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and on the
other hand, the response to the demand to proclaim the Gospel in the socio-
historical circumstances of the country today.
The Lay Faithful and the Family
15. In the most difficult periods
of the recent history of the Catholic Church in China, the lay faithful,
both as individuals and families and as members of spiritual and apostolic
movements, have shown total fidelity to the Gospel, even paying a personal
price for their faithfulness to Christ. My dear lay people, you are called,
today too, to incarnate the Gospel in your lives and to bear witness to it
by means of generous and effective service for the good of the people and
for the development of the country: and you will accomplish this mission
by living as honest citizens and by operating as active and responsible co-workers
in spreading the word of God to those around you, in the country or in the
city. You who in recent times have been courageous witnesses of the faith,
must remain the hope of the Church for the future! This demands from you
an ever more engaged participation in all areas of Church life, in communion
with your respective Pastors.
Since the future of humanity passes by way of the family, I consider
it indispensable and urgent that lay people should promote family values and
safeguard the needs of the family. Lay people, whose faith enables them to
know God's marvellous design for the family, have an added reason to assume
this concrete and demanding task: the family in fact "is the normal place
where the young grow to personal and social maturity. It is also the bearer
of the heritage of humanity itself, because through the family, life is passed
on from generation to generation. The family occupies a very important place
in Asian cultures; and, as the Synod Fathers noted, family values like filial
respect, love and care for the aged and the sick, love of children and harmony
are held in high esteem in all Asian cultures and religious traditions''.52
The above-mentioned values form part of the relevant Chinese cultural
context, but also in your land there is no lack of forces that influence
the family negatively in various ways. Therefore the Church which is in China,
aware that the good of society and her own good are profoundly linked to
the good of the family,53 must have a keener and more urgent sense of her
mission to proclaim to all people God's plan for marriage and the family,
ensuring the full vitality of each.54
Christian initiation of adults
16. The recent history of the
Catholic Church in China has seen a large number of adults coming to the
faith, thanks partly to the witness of the local Christian community. You,
Pastors, are called to devote particular care to their Christian initiation
via an appropriate and serious period of catechumenate aimed at helping them
and preparing them to lead the life of Jesus' disciples.
In this regard, I would mention that evangelization is never purely
intellectual communication, but rather includes experience of life, purification
and transformation of the whole of existence, and a journey in communion.
Only in this way is a proper relationship established between thought and
life.
Looking then to the past, it is unfortunately the case that many
adults have not always been sufficiently initiated into the complete truth
of Christian life and have not even known the richness of the renewal brought
by the Second Vatican Council. It therefore seems necessary and urgent to
offer them a solid and thorough Christian formation, in the shape of a post-baptismal
catechumenate.55
The missionary vocation
17. The Church, always and everywhere
missionary, is called to proclaim and to bear witness to the Gospel. The
Church in China must also sense in her heart the missionary ardour of her
Founder and Teacher.
Addressing young pilgrims on the Mount of the Beatitudes in the
Holy Year 2000, John Paul II said: "At the moment of his Ascension, Jesus
gave his disciples a mission and this reassurance: 'All power in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations
... and behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age' (Mt 28:18-20).
For two-thousand years Christ's followers have carried out this mission.
Now, at the dawn of the third millennium, it is your turn. It is your turn
to go out into the world to preach the message of the Ten Commandments and
the Beatitudes. When God speaks, he speaks of things which have the greatest
importance for each person, for the people of the twenty-first century no
less than those of the first century. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes
speak of truth and goodness, of grace and freedom: of all that is necessary
to enter into Christ's Kingdom''.56
Now it is your turn, Chinese disciples of the Lord, to be courageous
apostles of that Kingdom. I am sure that your response will be most generous.
CONCLUSION Revocation
of faculties and of pastoral directives
18. Considering in the first
place some positive developments of the situation of the Church in China,
and in the second place the increased opportunities and greater ease in communication,
and finally the requests sent to Rome by various Bishops and priests, I hereby
revoke all the faculties previously granted in order to address particular
pastoral necessities that emerged in truly difficult times.
Let the same be applied to all directives of a pastoral nature,
past and recent. The doctrinal principles that inspired them now find a new
application in the directives contained herein.
A day of prayer for the
Church in China
19. Dear Pastors and all the
faithful, the date 24 May could in the future become an occasion for the
Catholics of the whole world to be united in prayer with the Church which
is in China. This day is dedicated to the liturgical memorial of Our Lady,
Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Marian Shrine
of Sheshan in Shanghai.
I would like that date to be kept by you as a day of prayer for
the Church in China. I encourage you to celebrate it by renewing your communion
of faith in Jesus our Lord and of faithfulness to the Pope, and by praying
that the unity among you may become ever deeper and more visible. I remind
you, moreover, of the commandment that Jesus gave us, to love our enemies
and to pray for those who persecute us, as well as the invitation of the
Apostle Saint Paul: ‘‘First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who
are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly
and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight
of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth'' (1 Tim 2:1-4).
On that same day, the Catholics of the whole world – in particular
those who are of Chinese origin – will demonstrate their fraternal solidarity
and solicitude for you, asking the Lord of history for the gift of perseverance
in witness, in the certainty that your sufferings past and present for the
Holy Name of Jesus and your intrepid loyalty to his Vicar on earth will be
rewarded, even if at times everything can seem a failure.
Farewell
20. At the conclusion of this
Letter I pray that you, dear Pastors of the Catholic Church which is in China,
priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful, may "rejoice, though now for
a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness
of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested
by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honour at the revelation of
Jesus Christ'' (1 Pet 1:6-7).
May Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church and Queen of China, who
at the hour of the Cross patiently awaited the morning of the Resurrection
in the silence of hope, accompany you with maternal solicitude and intercede
for all of you, together with Saint Joseph and the countless Holy Martyrs
of China.
I assure you of my constant prayers and, with affectionate remembrance
of the elderly, the sick, the children and young people of your noble Nation,
I bless you from my heart.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 27 May, the Solemnity of Pentecost,
in the year 2007, the third of my Pontificate.
1Benedict XVI, Angelus of 26 December 2006: "With special spiritual
closeness, I also think of those Catholics who maintain their fidelity to
the See of Peter without ceding to compromises, sometimes at the price of
grave sufferings. The whole Church admires their example and prays that they
will have the strength to persevere, knowing that their tribulations are
the fount of victory, even if at that moment they can seem a failure''. L'Osservatore
Romano, English edition, 3 January 2007, p. 12.
2Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes,
10.
3Message to the participants of the International Convention ‘‘Matteo
Ricci: for a dialogue between China and the West'' (24 October 2001), 4:
L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 31 October 2001, p. 3.
4Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia
in Asia (6 November 1999), 7: AAS 92 (2000), 456.
5Cf. ibid., 19, 20: AAS 92 (2000), 477-482.
6Cf. Address to members of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences
(Manila, 15 January 1995), 11: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 25
January 1995, p. 6.
7John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January
2001), 1: AAS 93 (2001), 266.
8Benedict XVI, General Audience (Wednesday 23 August 2006), L'Osservatore
Romano, English edition, 30 August 2006, p. 3.
9John Paul II, Message to the participants of the International
Convention ‘‘Matteo Ricci: for a dialogue between China and the West'' (24
October 2001), 6: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 31 October 2001,
pp. 3-4.
10Ibid.
11Cf. Fonti Ricciane, ed. Pasquale M. D'Elia, S.J., vol. 2, Rome
1949, no. 617, p. 152.
12Message to the participants of the International Convention
‘‘Matteo Ricci: for a dialogue between China and the West'' (24 October 2001),
4: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 31 October 2001, p. 3.
13Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium
et Spes, 76.
14Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 28: AAS
98 (2006), 240. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 76.
15Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church Lumen Gentium, 26.
16Ibid., 23.
17Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on some aspects
of the Church understood as Communion Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), 11-14:
AAS 85 (1993), 844-847.
18Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church Lumen Gentium, 23.
19Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops
of the Catholic Church on some aspects of the Church understood as Communion
Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), 13: AAS 85 (1993), 846.
20See also Benedict XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum
Caritatis (22 February 2007), 6: ‘‘The Church's faith is essentially a eucharistic
faith, and it is especially nourished at the table of the Eucharist. Faith
and the sacraments are two complementary aspects of ecclesial life. Awakened
by the preaching of God's word, faith is nourished and grows in the grace-filled
encounter with the Risen Lord which takes place in the sacraments: ‘faith
is expressed in the rite, while the rite reinforces and strengthens faith.'
For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar is always at the heart of the
Church's life: ‘thanks to the Eucharist, the Church is reborn ever anew!'
The more lively the eucharistic faith of the People of God, the deeper is
its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted
by Christ to his disciples. The Church's very history bears witness to this.
Every great reform has in some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief
in the Lord's eucharistic presence among his people''.
21Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January 2001), 42:
AAS 93 (2001), 296. See also Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas
Est (25 December 2005), 12: "Divine activity now takes on dramatic form when,
in Jesus Christ, it is God himself who goes in search of the 'stray sheep',
a suffering and lost humanity. When Jesus speaks in his parables of the shepherd
who goes after the lost sheep, of the woman who looks for the lost coin,
of the father who goes to meet and embrace his prodigal son, these are no
mere words: they constitute an explanation of his very being and activity.
His death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against
himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him.
This is love in its most radical form'': AAS 98 (2006), 228.
22Benedict XVI, General Audience (Wednesday 5 April 2006): L'Osservatore
Romano, English edition, 12 April 2006, p. 11.
23The lived experience of the ancient Church in time of persecution
should be a source of enlightenment for all, as should the teaching given
on this matter by the Church of Rome herself. Rome rejected the rigorist
positions of the Novatians and the Donatists, and appealed for a generous
attitude of pardon and reconciliation towards those who had apostatized during
the persecutions (the "lapsi''), and wished to be readmitted to the communion
of the Church.
24John Paul II, Message to the Catholic community in China Alla
Vigilia (8 December 1999), 6: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 15 December
1999, p. 5.
25Cf. Mt 4:8-10; Jn 6:15.
26Cf. Is 42:1-4.
27Cf. Jn 18:37.
28Cf. Mt 26:51-53; Jn 18:36.
29Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on Religious
Liberty Dignitatis Humanae, 11.
30Benedict XVI, General Audience (Wednesday 5 April 2006): L'Osservatore
Romano, English edition, 12 April 2006, p. 11.
31Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 28.
32Benedict XVI, General Audience (Wednesday 5 April 2006): L'Osservatore
Romano, English edition, 12 April 2006, p. 11.
33 Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 174. Cf.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 857 and 869.
34John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Apostolos Suos (21 May 1998),
10: AAS 90 (1998), 648.
35Cf. Code of Canon Law, c. 447.
36Statutes of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA),
2004, art. 3.
37Homily for the Jubilee of Bishops (8 October 2000), 5: AAS 93
(2001), 28. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Pastoral
Office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 6.
38Ibid., 27.
39Benedict XVI, Address to new Bishops (21 September 2006): AAS
98 (2006), 696.
40Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 21. Cf. also Code of Canon Law, c. 375 § 2.
41Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 22. Cf. also
"Preliminary Explanatory Note'', No. 2.
42China Catholic Bishops' College (CCBC).
43At the universal level, see, for example, the provisions of
art. 18, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights of 16 December 1966 ("Everyone shall have the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have
or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually
or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion
or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching'') and the interpretation,
binding for Member States, given to it by the Human Rights Committee of the
United Nations in "General Comment 22'' (paragraph 4) of 30 July 1993 ("the
practice and teaching of religion or belief includes acts integral to the
conduct by religious groups of their basic affairs, such as freedom to choose
their religious leaders, priests and teachers, the freedom to establish seminaries
or religious schools and the freedom to prepare and distribute religious
texts or publications'').
At the regional level, then, see, for example, the following commitments,
assumed at the Vienna Meeting of the Representatives of States participating
in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE): "In order
to ensure the freedom of the individual to profess and practise religion
or belief, the participating States will, inter alia ... respect the right
of these religious communities to ... organize themselves according to their
own hierarchical and institutional structure ... select, appoint and replace
their personnel in accordance with their respective requirements and standards
as well as with any freely accepted arrangement between them and their State''.
(Concluding Document of 1989, Principle No. 16 of the Section 'Questions
relating to Security in Europe''). Cf. also Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
Declaration on Religious Liberty Dignitatis Humanae, 4.
44Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical
Council, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church Christus
Dominus, 20.
45See, in this regard, the relevant norms of the Code of Canon
Law (cf. c. 378).
46Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 23.
47Cf. Code of Canon Law, cc. 265-272.
48For a reflection on the doctrine and spirituality of the priest
and on the charism of celibacy, I refer to my address to the Roman Curia (22
December 2006): L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 3 January 2007, p.
6.
49Cf. John Paul II, Message to the Church which is in China on
the Seventieth Anniversary of the Ordination in Rome of the First Group of
Chinese Bishops and on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Institution of the
Ecclesiastical Hierarchy in China La Memoria Liturgica (3 December 1996),
4: AAS 89 (1997), 256.
50Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March
1992), 70: AAS 84 (1992), 782.
51Ibid., 29: AAS 84 (1992), 704.
52John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in
Asia (6 November 1999), 46: AAS 92 (2000), 521. Cf. Benedict XVI, Address
at Fifth World Meeting of Families in Spain (Valencia, 8 July 2006): ‘‘The
family is a necessary good for peoples, an indispensable foundation for society
and a great and lifelong treasure for couples. It is a unique good for children,
who are meant to be the fruit of the love, of the total and generous self-giving
of their parents. To proclaim the whole truth about the family based on marriage
as a domestic Church and a sanctuary of life, is a great responsibility incumbent
upon all ... Christ has shown us what is always the supreme source of our
life and thus of the lives of families: ‘This is my commandment, that you
love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends' (Jn 15:12-13). The love of God himself
has been poured out upon us in Baptism. Consequently, families are called
to experience this same kind of love, for the Lord makes it possible for
us, through our human love, to be sensitive, loving and merciful like Christ'':
AAS 98 (2006), 591-592.
53Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 47.
54Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio
(22 November 1981), 3: AAS 74 (1982), 84.
55As the Synod Fathers of the Seventh Ordinary Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops observed (1-30 October 1987), in the formation of Christians
"a post-baptismal catechesis in the form of a catechumenate can also be helpful
by presenting again some elements from the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults with the purpose of allowing a person to grasp and live the immense,
extraordinary richness and responsibility received at Baptism'': John Paul
II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (30 December
1988), 61: AAS 81 (1989), 514. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1230-1231.
56Homily on the Mount of the Beatitudes (Israel, 24 March 2000),
5: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 29 March 2000, p. 9.
CONTENTS
Greeting [1]
Purpose of the Letter [2]
PART ONE: THE SITUATION OF THE CHURCH: THEOLOGICAL ASPECTS
Globalization, modernity and atheism [3]
Willingness to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue [4]
Communion between particular Churches in the universal Church [5]
Tensions and divisions within the Church: pardon and reconciliation [6]
Ecclesial communities and State agencies: relationships to be lived in truth
and charity [7]
The Chinese Episcopate [8]
Appointment of Bishops [9]
PART TWO: GUIDELINES FOR PASTORAL LIFE
Sacraments, governance of dioceses, parishes [10]
Ecclesiastical provinces [11]
Catholic communities [12]
Priests [13]
Vocations and religious formation [14]
The Lay Faithful and the Family [15]
Christian initiation of adults [16]
The missionary vocation [17]
CONCLUSION
Revocation of faculties and of pastoral directives [18]
A day of prayer for the Church in China [19]
Farewell [20]
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