Friday, March 29, AD 2024 8:24am

PopeWatch: China

Sandro Magister gives us the latest in regard to the ongoing sell out by the Vatican of the heroic Catholic Church in China:

The open letter reproduced in its entirety below was published today, Monday, January 29, by Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, on his blog, and was immediately republished by the agency Asia News of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

In it, the cardinal reveals the essential contents of a conversation he had with Pope Francis, to whom he revealed his grave fears over the steps taken recently in China by Vatican representatives.

These steps consisted in asking two “underground” bishops who are recognized by the Holy See, those of Shantou and Mindong, to make way for two bishops appointed by the government, both illicit and, the first one, excommunicated.

For more details on these steps:

> The Vatican asks legitimate bishops to step aside in favour of illegitimate ones

Cardinale Zen now reveals that Pope Francis replied to him that he had given the order “not to create another Mindszenty case,” alluding to the heroic cardinal and primate of Hungary who was required by the Vatican authorities to leave his country in 1971, was removed from his position in 1973, and in 1975 was replaced with a new primate favored by the communist regime.

But now it’s the cardinal’s turn.

*
Dear Friends in the Media,

Since AsiaNews has revealed some recent facts in the Church in mainland China, of legitimate bishops being asked by the “Holy See” to resign and make place for illegitimate, even explicitly excommunicated, “bishops”, many different versions of the facts and interpretations are creating confusion among the people. Many, knowing of my recent trip to Rome, are asking me for some clarification.

Back in October, when Bishop Zhuang received the first communication from the Holy See and asked me for help, I send someone to bring his letter to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, with, enclosed, a copy for the Holy Father. I don’t know if that enclosed copy reached the desk of the Holy Father.

Fortunately, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai was still in Rome and could meet the Pope in a fare-well visit. In that occasion, he brought the two cases of Shantou and Mindong to the knowledge of the Holy Father. The Holy Father was surprised and promised to look into the matter.

Given the words of the Holy Father to Archbishop Savio Hon, the new facts in December were all the more a shocking surprise to me. When the old distressed Bishop Zhuang asked me to bring to the Holy Father his answer to the message conveyed to him by the “Vatican Delegation” in Beijing, I simply could not say “No”. But what could I do to make sure that his letter reach the Holy Father, while not even I can be sure that my own many letters did reach him.

To make sure that our voice reached the Holy Father, I took the sudden decision of going to Rome. I left Hong Kong the night of 9th January, arriving in Rome the early morning of 10th January, just in time (actually, a bit late) to join the Wednesday Public Audience. At the end of the audience, we Cardinals and Bishops are admitted to the “bacia mano” and I had the chance to put into the hands of the Holy Father the envelop, saying that I was coming to Rome for the only purpose of bringing to him a letter of Bishop Zhuang, hoping he can find time to read it (in the envelop there was the original letter of the Bishop in Chinese with my translation into Italian and a letter of mine).

For obvious reasons, I hoped my appearance at the audience would not be too much noticed, but my late arrival in the hall made it particularly noticeable. Anyway, now everybody can see the whole proceeding from the Vatican TV (by the way, the audience was held in Paul VI Hall, not in St. Peter’s Square and I was a little late to the audience, but did not have to “wait in a queue, in a cold weather”, as some media erroneously reported).

When in Rome, I met Fr. Bernard Cervellera of AsiaNews. We exchanged our information, but I told him not to write anything. He complied. Now that someone else broke the news, I can agree to confirm it. Yes, as far as I know, things happened just as they are related in AsiaNews (the AsiaNews report “believes” that the Bishop leading the Vatican Delegation was Msgr. Celli. I do not know in what official capacity he was there, but it is most likely that he was the one there in Beijing).

In this crucial moment and given the confusion in the media, I, knowing directly the situation of Shantou and indirectly that of Mindong, feel duty-bound to share my knowledge of the facts, so that the people sincerely concerned with the good of the Church may know the truth to which they are entitled. I am well aware that in doing so I may talk about things which, technically, are qualified as “confidential”. But my conscience tells me that in this case the “right to truth” should override any such “duty of confidentiality”.

With such conviction, I am going to share with you also the following:
In the afternoon of that day, 10th January, I received a phone-call from Santa Marta telling me that the Holy Father would receive me in private audience in the evening of Friday 12th January (though the report appeared only on 14th January in the Holy See bulletin). That was the last day of my 85 years of life, what a gift from Heaven! (Note that it was the vigil of the Holy Father’s departure for Chile and Peru, so the Holy Father must have been very busy).

On that evening the conversation lasted about half an hour. I was rather disorderly in my talking, but I think I succeeded to convey to the Holy Father the worries of his faithful children in China.

The most important question I put to the Holy Father (which was also in the letter) was whether he had had time “to look into the matter” (as he promised Archbishop Savio Hon). In spite of the danger of being accused of breach of confidentiality, I decide to tell you what His Holiness said: “Yes, I told them (his collaborators in the Holy See) not to create another Mindszenty case”! I was there in the presence of the Holy Father representing my suffering brothers in China. His words should be rightly understood as of consolation and encouragement more for them than for me.

I think it was most meaningful and appropriate for the Holy Father to make this historical reference to Card. Josef Mindszenty, one of the heroes of our faith. (Card. Josef Mindszenty was the Archbishop of Budapest, Cardinal Primate of Hungary under Communist persecution. He suffered much in several years in prison. During the short-lived revolution of 1956, he was freed from prison by the insurgents and, before the Red Army crashed the revolution, took refuge in the American Embassy. Under the pressure of the Government he was ordered by the Holy See to leave his country and immediately a successor was named to the likings of the Communist Government).

With this revelation, I hope I have satisfied the legitimate “right to know” of the media and of my brothers in China.

The important thing for us now is to pray for the Holy Father, very fittingly by singing the traditional song “Oremus”: “Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco, Dominus conservet eum et vivificet eum et beatum faciat eum in terra et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.”

Some explanations may still be in order.

1. Please, notice that the problem is not the resignation of the legitimate Bishops, but the request to make place for the illegitimate and even excommunicated ones. Many old underground Bishops, though the retirement age law has never been enforced in China, have insistently asked for a successor, but have never received any answer from the Holy See. Some others, who have a successor already named, may be even already in possession of the Bulla signed by the Holy Father, were ordered not to proceed with the ordination for fear of offending the Government.

2. I have talked mainly of the two cases of Shantou and Mindong. I do not have any other information except the copy of a letter written by an outstanding Catholic lady, a retired University professor well-acquainted with affairs of the Church in China, in which she warns Msgr. Celli against pushing for the legitimization of “bishop” Lei Shi Ying in Sichuan.

3. I acknowledge myself as a pessimist regarding the present situation of the Church in China, but my pessimism has a foundation in my long direct experience of the Church in China. From 1989 to 1996 I used to spend six months a year teaching in the various Seminaries of the official Catholic community. I had direct experience of the slavery and humiliation to which those our brother Bishops are subjected. And from the recent information, there is no reason to change that pessimistic view. The Communist Government is making new harsher regulations limiting religious freedom. They are now strictly enforcing regulations which up to now were practically only on paper (from the 1st of February 2018 attendance to Mass in the underground will no longer be tolerated).

4. Some say that all the efforts to reach an agreement is to avoid the ecclesial schism. How ridiculous! The schism is there, in the Independent Church! The Popes avoided using the word “schism” because they knew that many in the official Catholic community were there not by their own free will, but under heavy pressure. The proposed “unification” would force everybody into that community. The Vatican would be giving the blessing on the new strengthened schismatic Church, taking away the bad conscience from all those who are already willing renegades and those others who would readily join them.

Go here to read the rest.  When it comes to Communist States there exists an evil tradition of selling out local Catholics to attempt to buy better diplomatic relations.  It has always been an idiotic policy and remains so under Pope Francis.

 

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Mary De Voe
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 8:17am

Pope Francis will now excommunicate the saints in heaven. In an aside: Saul Alinsky admired Satan because Lucifer has invented a realm all for himself. Soon, Francis will have invented a place all for himself, no saints, no Catholics and no suffering souls in purgatory, a realm all for his diabolical self. I believe it is called nowhere

Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 8:25am

Mary De Voe.
The four gospel writers of Francis wrote a popular song of him..a prophetic song, Nowhere Man.
Gospels of Ringo, Paul, John and George.

Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 8:35am

Mary De Voe.
A critical time is nearing in Ireland.
Please pray for the future of the unborn child in Ireland;
http://blog.spiritdaily.com/news/will-we-lose-ireland

My mom was so proud of her Irish heritage. County Armagh.
She died on the wee hours of the feast of St. Benignus..the Bishop of County Armagh! Talk about God’s love and his timing.
No coincidences here…just supernatural love shining through the veil of Tears.
Please pray for Ireland!

Mary De Voe
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 3:33pm

Many prayers for the land of Saint Patrick.

Mary De Voe
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 3:37pm

Philip: Seriously The Beatles adhered to nirvana. So evident in Lennon’s song: Imagine.
“Nowhere Man. Gospels of Ringo, Paul, John and George.” Agree.
Do you think Pope Francis is a Beatles fan? That would be an improvement.

Ignatius Riley
Ignatius Riley
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 4:48pm

A follow-up: After Cardinal Zen’s comments, the Vatican, through Greg Burke, issued a reply. See, eg, https://zenit.org/articles/breaking-statement-on-china-made-by-greg-burke/ The money quote: “The Pope is in constant contact with his collaborators, particularly the Secretariat of State . . . ” Anyone who has concerns about the negotiations with China is “fostering confusion and controversy.”
Were one to write a fictional mini-series (say) about this papacy, one might have the aged Cardinal Zen in private audience with the aged Pontiff, who, despite certain flaws of intellect, temperament, and character, is still basically well-meaning and good-hearted. As the clueless Pope learns what is going on, he is scandalized, even bringing up earlier instances of where the Church has betrayed its heroic champions in order to come to good terms with the Prince of this world. But when Zen makes this exchange known, the Pope’s current dominant handler (“collaborator”), Cardinal Parolin (who himself, some say, has the inside track at the next conclave), has the Vatican’s communications chief issue a statement: Nothing to see here, folks; and anyone who has concerns about all this is acting in bad faith and only trying to make trouble.

GregB
Friday, February 2, AD 2018 8:16pm

Weren’t the actions of Pope Francis in Cuba a sellout of the Cuban dissidents? From what I’ve read so far, it seems like the underground Church in China is being given the same treatment as the Cuban dissidents.

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