“In the face of such barbs, how can I convince my Protestant and non-Christian allies that our Catholic teachings are not hypocrisy?”

There is an important article at the National Catholic Register written by a Chinese priest under a pseudonym.

The plight of Catholics and the complicity – both active and passive – on the part of Rome are palpable.

[…]

And sometimes, the burden has even been increased by fellow Catholics. Consider: In September 2018, Pope Francis lifted the excommunication of seven illegitimate bishops of the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and forced underground bishops to vacate their sees for them. (Later, seven underground priests, along with their bishop and 10 seminarians, were arrested.)

In August 2022, when cardinals from around the world gathered at a consistory in Rome, Cardinal Gerhard Müller noted that no mention was made of Cardinal Zen’s persecution, and no public prayers were offered for his upcoming trial.

In September 2022, Pope Francis told journalists that China’s government should not be “classified” as anti-democratic, because “it is such a complex country with its rhythms.”

The Vatican has been mostly silent on China’s daily human rights disasters, the encroachment of Hong Kong, Uyghur genocide, Tibetan monk self-immolation and other human rights violations.

In the face of such barbs, how can I convince my Protestant and non-Christian allies that our Catholic teachings are not hypocrisy? What makes my dialogue with them possible is our common focus on moral unity over doctrinal debate. Pastor Wang’s Calvinist community may not understand the Catholic Church as an institution but they deeply respect Cardinal Zen and even include him in their official prayers. They know Cardinal Zen is the one who dares to pray on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, as they do, and who dares to follow John Paul’s fighting strategies: memory battle, cultural resistance, conscience revolution.

[…]

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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5 Comments

  1. johntenor says:

    The current Curial regime believes that detente is its own reward.

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  3. pray4truth says:

    I hope this helps you as it does me … “A Diabolic Plot to Destroy the Church as Prophesied by Heaven: A Message for Fallen Away Catholics” by Sensus Fidelium
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKjSZvFATPo

  4. JonPatrick says:

    We have to differentiate between teachings by fallible human beings in the Church, and the Deposit of Faith that has been passed on down to us from the Apostles. The Deposit of Faith never changes and would condemn what is going on in China. Unfortunately our current hierarchy believes the truths of the faith can change over time and have to be brought in conformity to what the world believes. The world says China is just wonderful and a model for how the rest of the world should be run (authoritarian rule by an elite, social credit scores, you will own nothing).

  5. TonyO says:

    how can I convince my Protestant and non-Christian allies that our Catholic teachings are not hypocrisy?

    It’s not the teachings, it’s the PEOPLE that are hypocrites. And, while that fact is unhappy, messy, and smelly, it is to be expected: St. Paul taught that we work out our salvation “in fear and trembling”, with many cases of two steps forward and then one step backward. It is with fear and trembling because we can continue to fail. When we become children of God through the grace of baptism, God does not finish the work of perfecting us all at once, his plan (for nearly all of us) provides a GRADUAL correction of our imperfections, flaws, and defects. This means that those who have been baptized are still sinners, in need of ongoing repair and correction. Which means that they WON’T be perfect models of Christian living. A church which doesn’t have sinners in its ranks will be a very small church indeed.

    And secondly: it is not up to you, or me, to “convince” your friends of the Truth, only to offer the Truth. It is God’s work to do the convincing, in his own way, at his own time, through his own means (which may or may not include you). In this context, man proposes, God disposes. You are not in control of how God uses your example and your testimony (just like with that of the Apostles).

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