Thousands of New Catholics in Beijing This Easter
What an inspiring story from China via the always interesting Asia News.
Beijing (AsiaNews) – Thousands of people were baptised into the faith in Catholic churches across China on Easter night. Yet in some areas the underground Church is still subjected to persecution and imprisonment.
In Beijing alone during the Easter Vigil, the number of adult baptisms numbered in the thousands! In the Church of Our Holy Saviour (Beitang) there were 180; in St Joseph’s (Dongtang) hundreds and in the Church of St Michael, where the Chinese of Korean origins, hundreds more, added to these, baptisms carried out in the underground Church.
The wave of religious rebirth and conversion to Catholicism is so great that the Christian community is having some difficulty in finding godparents to accompany the new catechumens. In the capital it is almost standard that any one godparent will have at least a dozen newly baptized to follow. The situation is analogues in most of China’s large cities: Shanghai, Xian, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xiamen, Shenzhen…
A priest and seminary professor points out to AsiaNews that contemporary Chinese society is marked by many open wounds: “the materialism of daily life,…. unbridled individualism, which generates selfishness and a lack of interest in other people, the future, the world around us”. The Church continues the priest “answers the silent cries of these people’s hearts, the thirst for God which is spreading throughout China”. Moreover, Christians are showing that “a healthy collaboration between faith and reason improves human life and promotes respect for creation”.
For the most part, the newly baptized tend to come from upper class backgrounds; they are materially wealthy, high level civil servants who despite having secured a comfortable lifestyle for themselves remain unsatisfied. “Only Christianity – one of them notes – has been able to sate my spiritual needs”.
Among those baptised are also University professors and students, people who question the meaning of existence and for whom the myths of Buddhism and Taoism, while fully respectable, have been unable to provide answers to scientific or rational exigencies.
The neo-converts also count the poor and immigrants, young people who have come to the cities from the country, in search of some monetary relief for their families. In the world of Chinese economics they are treated like slaves, underpaid, sometimes even unpaid and forced to work illegally.
posted by Sherry W @ 11:50 AM
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3 Comments:
This news regarding the supposed 'converts' to the Catholic Church in China is so misleading and fails to make an obvious distinction. These 'converts' did not enter the Holy Roman Catholic Church under Peter but rather the Patriotic Association which is a puppet church under the control of the Chinese Communist Party. The Patriotic association is a schismatic sect which rejects the primacy of Peter and must accept and openly support the one-child policy of the Communist government which we all know is one of the most aggressive and ruthless abortion programs in the world. The Vatican does have an official policy regarding the Patriotic Association and until the Vatican declares otherwise, it is the way we must view the situation regarding the 'Official Church' of China as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church in China, the Underground CAtholic Church. These China Guidelines of 1988 can be viewed on the CArdinal Kung Foundations official website, www.cardinalkungfoundation.org. Thanks and Ave Maria! Father Elias
Fr. Elias:
In typical Roman fashion, it is just not that simple.
2/3 of China's registered bishops are recognized by the Vatican. In summer, 2006, the Vatican and Beijing agreed on the appointment of an auxiliary bishop. As per this Asia news piece from last year:
"The news that four Chinese bishops have been appointed to the Synod and invited by Pope Benedict XVI to come to Rome is spreading in China generating excitement but causing also some trepidation.
Members of *both the official and the underground Church* are rejoicing. The four appointees (three of whom are recognised by the government) are well-known and held in high regard for their faith and work.
Talking to AsiaNews on the phone, Mgr Jin Luxian, Bishop of Shanghai, said that these nominations "are a sign of the Vatican's friendship towards the Chinese government. I just hope the government will allow everyone to take part in the Synod."
Bishop Jin is known for his ties to China's political elite. He told AsiaNews that he never got the letter informing him of his appointment and invitation, just an e-mail message. "Be that as it may, it was a great honour for me and the entire Chinese Church," he said.
Of all the new appointees, Luke Li Jingfeng is the most excited. One of his parishioners, contacted by AsiaNews, said that when Mgr Li received the letter from the Vatican his first thought was that it "was some kind of joke". He made enquiries to check out the information and is now "very happy, even full of excitement."
Till last year he was not even recognised by the government—he registered with the authorities only recently without having to join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA."
In any case, to have thousands of Chinese baptized into Christ's life, death, and resurrection and his body on earth is always a great occasion, no matter how muddy the political waters around them.
*They* are seeking to follow Christ. How could we not rejoice?
All commenters:
A reminder. Here on ID, civility reigns.
That means
1) you don't impugn or sneer at the motive or intent of another poster. Around here, we assume each other's good will and good faith even if we disagree with their point.
2) You don't use ad hominems instead of argument. We ask that you make a thoughtful, reasoned case about the issue and that others respond to you in the same spirit.
3) You don't tell people they don't belong in the Church or should leave the Church. This really is a rule around here because we've dealt with it before.
If someone is baptized, he/she is a member of the Body of Christ which subsists in the Catholic Church. It is not up to us to judge who is a "real Catholic." Baptized non-Catholics are in "real, if imperfect communion" with the Catholic Church and are to be welcomed as brothers and sisters in Christ.
4) Posters that cannot or will not abide by these rules will be deleted immediately without warning, apology, or explanation.
5) Posters who have created notable, sustained havoc on other blogs will not be welcome here until they have demonstrated their intention and ability to abide by 1 - 4.
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