The Pope's Missionary Prayer intention for August: “That the Church in China may show ever stronger unity within herself and effective and visible communion with the Successor of Peter ”, Comment by Fr. Vito Del Prete, PIME, Secretary general of the Pontifical Missionary Union

Friday, 27 July 2007

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - Never has a Papal Letter aroused so much expectation, interest and curiosity as the recent Letter addressed by Pope Benedict XVI to the members of the Catholic Church living in the Chinese Peoples' Republic. The media, even markedly secular media usually little interested in the life of the Church, for some time, carried interviews with people with authority, well informed, about the date of publication and the contents of the Letter. To be honest, I think they were interested not in the situation of Chinese Catholics or the assistance the Letter might bring, but more in diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the government of the Chinese Peoples' Republic. In fact, once the Letter was published the interest dwindled and complete media silence followed.
The Letter in fact is not addressed to the authorities of the Chinese government, which is although invited to keep open the doors for sincere dialogue between the sides. Instead it is addressed to the bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful and intends “ to confirm the faith of Chinese Catholics and favour their unity with the means proper to the Church.” (4).
With great tact the letter exposes and strives to solve inter-ecclesial problems which the Church in China is already tackling “ within herself and in her relations with Chinese civil society - tensions, divisions and recriminations.” (6). These problems originated in the sad history of the Church in China, subject to periodical persecution, the last of which, initiated with the expulsion of all foreigners with the advent of Maoist communism, also had the effect of undermining the Church from within. It was not so much the system of torture, imprisonment, death sentences which led Christians to abjure God and Christ, which weakened the Church. This revealed its splendid witness which, sealed with blood, became seed of more Christians. What weakened it, what “continues to be even today one of her concerning weaknesses ” are the reciprocal suspicions, accusations, and reports among Chinese Christians.
Mao-Tze-Tong, in one of the maxims in his Little Red Book, said the only way to annihilate and weaken the Catholic Church was to break its unity among the faithful, among Churches and their communion with the Supreme Pontiff. The method of this strategic plan was to create dissent in the community, break the bonds of faith and charity which unite the local Catholic Churches all over the world and the consequence was a ban on any relationship with the visible leader of the unity of the Body of Christ, in the name of autonomy and nationalistic independence.
In all this a significant and determinant role was played by those bodies imposed by government to be responsible for the life of the Catholic community. The immediate reference appears to be no longer Christ, and even less that visible head, founding stone of Church unity, namely the Roman Pontiff.
A journey has begun among the different souls of the Church in China. Gradually bitter rivalry is waning, condemnation with no appeal from both sides is fading, possible only with the purification of memory and systematic practice of the forgiveness taught by the Gospel, reconciliation is slowing happening.
This is the challenge for the entire Catholic community in China, and it cannot be ignored, since on it depends the effectiveness of all evangelising activity. In fact also the Catholic Church in China 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”. (3) But the unity and communion of Christ's faithful are the demonstrative force and the end to which all the Church's evangelising activity tends, as she strives to unite all peoples into the one family of God.
At this difficult time and challenging time for the Catholic Church in the Peoples Republic of China, we must pray incessantly to the Holy Spirit that the bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay men and women, who in their hearts know what it means to be Catholics, will strive to make visible and operative that spirit of communion, understanding and forgiveness which is the visible mark of authentic Christian life. (P. Vito Del Prete, PIME) (Agenzia Fides 27/7/2007, righe 49, parole 719)


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