BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

I know that AsiaNews is pushing a militant policy in China of openly defying the Communist leadership and the official Church, a position best exemplified by Cardinal Joseph Zen, but something is not right about this development reported here.

In effect, Cardinal Zen is striking out against the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, because he vehemently disagrees with the opinion of one of its missionaries who is supposed to be a veteran on dealing with China, and who apparently advocates continuing with dialog.

And this comes the day after a new Chinese bishop was ordained who had both the Pope's approval as well as that of the Chinese government. That single 'swallow' does not make for a summer of detente and rapprochement but at least it is something positive.

With all due respect to Cardinal Zen, choosing to do this now - or to do it at all, even if it is consistent with his record of militancy - does not seem to be prudent. Why should he ventilate his quarrels in public with the Congregation that is primarily responsible for all the local churches in mission lands (and China continues to be one)?

Cardinal Zen has direct access to the Holy Father any time he wants to - could he not bring up the problem to him directly, at least in writing? Moreover, he always has the ear of Cardinal Bertone, his fellow Salesian.

For the past several months, the Holy Father has been meeting almost weekly with Cardinal Dias, adding him, extraordinarily, to the two other Prefects whom Popes have habitually met with weekly (CDF and Bishops). The Vatican publicizes these meetings every week in the Pope's schedule. If Cardinal Zen brought up his complaints against Cardinal Dias with the Pope, the latter certainly would not mail to take it up with Cardinal Dias.

Likewise, Father Cervellera (AsiaNews editor) is allowing his passion for China - understandable because he spent many years there - to interfere with his editorial objectivity. AsiaNews is still a Vatican entity, being a news agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, which is under Cardinal Dias's Congregation. More than imprudence is in question here - there is also the propriety of attacking one's own superior in public, using a news agency of the Congregation itself.

Here is AsiaNews's presentation of Cardinal Zen's more-than-complaint:


Cardinal Zen’s anger over
Fr. Heyndrickx and Propaganda Fide’s
'dialogue at all costs"'


The "dire state" of the Church in China is caused by the policy of Beijing, but also by Vatican policy, too similar to the failed Ostpolitik promoted by Cardinal Agustino Casaroli [in the days of the Cold WAr]. [Cardinal Zen and AsiaNews appear to forget that even the 'good John XIII' thoought that Ostpolitik was worthy carrying on, to save Catholics behind the Iron Curtain from more persecution than they already had - to the point that there was tacit agreement not to bring up at all the problem of Communism and its godlessness and crimes agaimst humanity at the Second Vatican Council! And that was the height of the Cold War when Khrushchev brought missiles to Cuba aimed at the United Sattes!]]

HONGKONG, April 1 (AsiaNews) - The Church in China is in a "disastrous state" because of the harshness of the regime, but also because a "triumvirate" (the Prefect of Propaganda Fide, one of his minions, and Fr Jeroom Heyndrickx, a Scheut[????] missionary and one of their counsellors) which continues to push the Vatican to compromise with the Chinese regime, modelled on Card. Casaroli’s Ostpolitik.

This very attitude led many bishops of the official Church to participate in the illicit ordination of Chengde and the National Assembly of Catholic Representatives, in clear disobedience to the directions of Benedict XVI.

[But didn't AsiaNews itself report repeatedly at the time how these bishops were coerced by the authorities to take part in those activities? Should they have resisted and been killed or dragged to prison? People facing persecution constantly have to decide when it is wise to resist and when it is futile. It would have been easy for any of those eight bishops to decide to be martyrs, but at this point for the Church in China, are more martyrs the answer, rather than bishops who are more needed alive at this time?]

According to the retired bishop of Hong Kong the Holy See must give clear guidance to the Church in China to avoid the schism where official bishops “enthusiastically obey” the Chinese government and not the Pope. [The so-called 'official' bishops have always done that - part of the price they have to pay - but aren't almost all of them now recognized by the Vatican? Again, what would Cardinal Zen have them do? Just bow their heads and choose martyrdom over duty to their flock? If, in kowtowing to Beijing, these bishops have been neglecting their spiritual obligations to their flock, then yes, that is reprehensible. But Cardinal Zen has not accused them of doing that, just of being 'enthusiastic' for the regime.]

Card. Zen makes his case in a written response he has sent to us, to a reflection by Fr Jeroom Heyndrickx, published in the March 16, 2011 of the Ferdinand Verbiest. In it, the Belgian priest, an expert on the Church in China, writes that despite the "slap in the face" to the Pope of the Chengde ordination and Beijing Assembly, dialogue with the Chinese Government should continue and the bishops should not be judged to harshly, neither must we get carried away by "misunderstandings" over their loyalty despite the many violations of canon law." (cfr. Verbiest Update 16 - March 2011).

AsiaNews then publishes the text of Cardinal Zen's reply:
www.asianews.it/notizie-it/L’ira-del-card.-Zen-sul-“dialogo-a-tutti-i-costi”-di-p.-Heyndrickx-e-Propaganda-Fide-21...


The other unintended consequence of Cardinal Zen periodically venting his frustration because the Vatican does not 'stand up' to the Chinese government is that every time he does so, it is a clear reproach, at the very least, to Benedict XVI's conduct of the Vatican's China policy.

His 1977 letter did not urge the Chinese Catholics and the Chinese bishops to defy their government directly, but to seek to balance their duties as good citizens with their duties as good Christians.

And ordinary Catholics like me who can only depend on published reports and commentary to have any idea of what is happening in China should be given a regular report card as it were, say every three months: How many bishops and priests are in prison, under house arrest, or missing without a trace? How many have been known to be arrested or killed since the last report? How many ordinary Catholics have been persecuted? How many incidents have there been of local authorities keeping Catholics from practising worship?

Since all that acrimony from Beijing in December, I have not read in AsiaNews of any new persecution or torture or other violation of Catholic rights. Surely that is not a bad thing at all!

Of course, I am also aware that every time Cardinal Zen inveighs against the Chinese government, he is potentially risking his own life. But it helps that he lives in HongKong, not on the mainland, and that he has had decades of experience of determining just how far he can go in provoking the Chinese. I pray that God will keep him safe, but also that the Holy Spirit may give him wisdom, prudence and a clear mind.