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Responding to claims made about Chinese Bishop Ma

It's hard to believe the bishop's praise of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association are sincere, says Cardinal Zen
Responding to claims made about Chinese Bishop Ma

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has responded to an article written by a Shanghai Catholic for ucanews.com. (ucanews.com photo)

Published: June 30, 2016 07:22 AM GMT

Since everyone is guessing, I think I should present some facts that I know about the situation in Shanghai. Yes, we should "not judge others." But certain truths can help us understand what is happening now.

I have read the article of a Shanghai Catholic Ya Na (Anna), in which she made reference to another Shanghai Catholic, Man Deng An.

I have to make the following points:

(A)  The reason why the majority of the priests did not appear to concelebrate Mass on the day of Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin's episcopal ordination was Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian's instruction to them in an earlier meeting. He did not want his priests to concelebrate with illicit bishops in case his plan failed.

(B)  The announcement by Bishop Ma of his intention to quit his posts at the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) very probably was not an impulsive outburst. At that time, the Pontifical Commission for the Catholic Church in China, through its standing committee, had decided to adopt a new policy: after many years of a policy of tolerance, the Holy See had not seen the hoped for changes in the CPA.

It was time to strictly enforce the clear instructions of Pope Benedict XVI — the CPA is not acceptable. This new policy probably had been passed to Bishop Ma and he thus made such a declaration (it was a pity that the Holy See did not give him much support afterwards).

(C) Bishop Jin was my friend, but his "four-carriage" model for the Church in Shanghai (i.e. the diocese, the CPA, the intellectual association and the church affairs commission) was obviously a simple stratagem. I could never say that it was any kind of "theological creation."

(D) In her article, Ya Na quoted the views of another writer, Man Deng An. This commentator pointed out the five characteristics of the CPA that make this government-controlled organization unacceptable. So, it was rejected by Pope Benedict. Let us analyze these five characteristics:

(1) It was established by the state;

(2) Is an institution not related to the church hierarchy;

(3) It is an attempt to override the bishops;

(4) It dominates life of the church community; and

(5) It is incompatible with church teachings.

Man Deng An does not discuss (1) and (2) because it is a reality that the church cannot change by any means.

Man Deng An claims (3) and (4) could be changed, and that Bishop Jin and many other bishops have explored ways to do so.

Again I say: The situation of the CPA at the diocesan level varies greatly across China. A talented bishop who is loyal to the church and can unite his priests, could succeed in achieving a certain degree of freedom for the church in his diocese. However, even working together, the bishops still cannot get rid of the national CPA or differ with it in public on important church issues. Bishop Ma's case is an example.

Unfortunately, individual bishops do not have any opportunity to advance any reform on (3) and (4) at the national level. We are now faced with this existing national CPA. So, any proposed changes on (3) and (4), just like (1) and (2), cannot succeed either unless there is a major change in the state's religious policy.

(E) As for his singing the praises of the CPA's contribution, that is ridiculous to suggest that this was all Bishop Ma's work. It is clear that if the government had recognized the legitimate ministerial rights of bishops and clergy, church affairs in recent years would have developed in a much better way.

In the June 12 article of Bishop Ma, those praises on the CPA were so tastelessly exaggerated. It is hard to believe they are the sincere words of the bishop. Catholics in China, regardless of whether they belong to open or underground communities, all know that those are "jokes" — jokes that the government loves to listen to.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun taught at Sheshan Seminary in Shanghai and other seminaries in China from 1989 until he was ordained as the coadjutor bishop of Hong Kong in 1996. He retired as Hong Kong archbishop in 2009.

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