From Vatican Insider:
Cardinal Zen says destruction of the Catholic Church continues in China
Despite the hopes raised by Pope Francis’ election, Sino-Vatican relations are still at a standstill. China’s new leader, Xi Jinping, has not kept his promises and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the Ministry of Religious Affairs are trying to turn bishops and faithful into “slaves”.
This is according to Cardinal Joseph Zen, the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong who, in an interview with missionary news agency AsiaNews, said that Beijing was carrying on its “work of destruction” against the local Catholic Church.
“With the power position they have acquired in dealing with religions, they are destroying not only the religions but also the good name of our nation,” the cardinal said. “The only purpose of their work seems to be “enslaving” our Church (unfortunately with much success) by forcing our bishops and priests to betray their conscience, their faith.”
“It seems undeniable that [Xi Jinping] has shown a certain determination in reforming his party by fighting courageously the corruption and setting up a regime of austerity and frugality for his communist comrades.” Cardinal Zen added that “clarity of position seems to be a characteristic feature of our Jesuit Pope … Somebody said that Pope Francis likes tango, but it takes two to tango. Can we suppose the same good will in his counterpart?”
Loading ...
Cardinal Zen has had to fight the various Chinese communist governments for years, generally as a burr to the Vatican. The great thing about the cardinal is he isn’t taken in by the lies that the Chinese government usually spreads and he has repeatedly called the bluff of the government.
Pray for the cardinal and those clergy, religious and laity who remain in the laogais and under house arrest, usually without formal charge.
Cardinal Zen should stop complaining and start being more pastoral. This situation calls for more dialogue and less judgmental pre-VII condemnations of our Communist brothers. This is the time of Christian Unity! We must pray that together with our separated Chinese Patriotic Catholics we shall together search for the fullness of truth that we have been missing all of our lives. we must not cut ourselves off from the spectrum of views that the world around us has to offer that will benefit our churches! Oh… if only truth were some incarnate thing that could’ve come down to us from the heavens to teach and feed us these things…
Father, “even Commies have mommies…”
Who are we to judge???
[tongue firmly in cheek]
There have been more Christian martyrs in the past century than in the preceding nineteen combined. The vast majority have been victims of leftist regimes, although the islamists are trying to catch up. We all need to pray daily for the brave Catholics and other Christians in China and around the world.
-Iacobus M
http://
vitafamiliariscatholica.blogspot.com/
“clarity of position seems to be a characteristic feature of our Jesuit Pope … ”
I laughed out loud at that.
The Chinese Catholic underground Church are being martyred, thrown into labour camps and having their Churches closed and for what? That they won’t abandon Rome. O’Malley’s performance at that Methodist shindig showered our Chinese brethren with utter contempt who pay the ultimate price for their fealty to Rome
Pingback: Pope Francis Instant Pop Icon - BigPulpit.com
To Jeff et al
Check out http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org The life of Ignatius Cardinal Kung is beautifully heroic. The site also gives ways in which the Catholic Faithful can materially support the underground church in China.
Bishop Kung, eve of his trial, 1960. “I am a Roman Catholic Bishop. If I denounce the Holy Father, not only would I not be a Bishop, I would not even be a Catholic. You can cut off my head, but you can never take away my duties.?
In his Mission magazine in 1957, Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote: “The West has its Mindszenty, but the East has its Kung. God is glorified in His saints.”