"Continue to Proclaim the Gospel With Ever More Intense Fervor"

Vatican's Message to Chinese Catholics

Here is the excerpts from the message to Chinese Catholics by the Vatican that summarizes the findings of the Fourth Plenary Meeting of the Commission on the Church in China, which took place in the second week of April in the Vatican.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Rom 15:13). From 11 to 13 April we met in the Vatican to study some questions of major importance regarding the life of the Catholic Church in China.

The pope encourages the members of the Church in China to be prepared to make sacrifices, despite the difficulties, in order to remain faithful to the faith of the Church, as it is the only foundation on which unity and communion can grow. While the commission acknowledges that the mosaic emerging from the collective activity of the members of the Church in China does reflect, by and large, an image consistent with that of Christ and his many disciples, what is termed the sad events of late last year are high in the consciousness of the commission.

It noted that the ordination, without the approval of the pope, of Father Joseph Guo Jincai as a bishop in Chengde in November, is to be considered as gravely illegitimate, adding that this also implies his exercise of any ministry as a bishop is also illegitimate.

The commission notes that on account of the pressure and restrictions placed by government authorities on the bishops who took part in the ordination, an automatic excommunication may not apply, it says, “There remains a grave wound, perpetrated on the ecclesial body. Every bishop involved is therefore obliged to refer to the Holy See and find the means of explaining his position to the priests and faithful, renewing his profession of fidelity to the supreme pontiff, to help them to overcome their interior suffering and repair the external scandal caused.”

The commission also encouraged the people to support their bishops and stay close to them in prayer and solidarity and to understand the difficulties that they face. The commission also referred to the Eighth National Assembly of Catholic Representatives reiterating that the body represents a civic structure that places the authority of the state above that of the bishops in the affairs of the Church, a situation that is incompatible with Church doctrine.

“The Holy See would desire to be completely free to appoint bishops… 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…” Although the commission acknowledges that the matter is not entirely in Church hands, it hopes that problems will not get worse and that the peace and harmony of the Church may be protected.

The commission adds that the good news of the day is that the diocese of Shanghai is able to begin to postulate the cause for the beatification of the first Catholic person in the area, Paul Xu Guangqi, who was a close collaborator of the great Jesuit missionary, Father Matteo Ricci, whose cause has recently been reopened in his home diocese of Macerata in Italy.

During his address at the close of the meeting, Pope Benedict concurred with the stress placed by the commission on the need for good education in the faith at all levels of the Church in China, as he recalled the importance of formation, in particular spiritual formation, so that the people, reinforced by liturgical and personal prayer, may be able to confront the considerable challenges of the moment.

He also entrusted the Church to the intercession of Mary Queen of China, renewing the invitation to the whole Church to dedicate May 24, the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, as a day of prayer for the Church on the mainland.