CHINESE CHRISTIANS SHOW THE WAY TO RECONCILIATION

While many were engaged in discussions, Chinese Christians took concrete steps towards unity.
The Pastoral Letter of Pope Benedict XVI (June 2007) is a milestone in the history of the Church of China. It speaks a clear language. But websites in China publish harsh disagreements on how to apply it in practice. Yet the Pope expects Chinese faithful to take concrete steps towards reconciliation. Time has come to discuss less and get involved in the ministry of reconciliation inside the Church of China. Chinese Christians are doing this already. As soon as the letter was published, the faithful took remarkable steps towards reconciliation. Those who teach in seminaries or in religious communities notice that among their audience of priests or religious of the 'official' Church community, some of the underground have joined. In Inner Mongolia an "unofficial Catholic community" invited priests of the "official community" to preside at their Eucharist and vice versa. An "official bishop" invited an "unofficial priest" to preach the retreat for his sisters; and when civil authorities complained he defended his action, with good result. It all means that the Christians and many of their shepherds have well understood the call of the Pope.

In the gospel Jesus Himself gives clear guidelines stressing the importance of unity and reconciliation in the Church. In John 17: 20-21, shortly before his suffering he prays for unity among his disciples. In Matthew 5: 23-24 we are admonished to first reconcile with each other before bringing our offering to the altar; and the Lord Himself told the adulterous woman: "I also will not condemn you!" (John 8: 11). St Paul says clearly that the mission of the Church consists mainly in continuing the mission for reconciliation of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 5: 18)

Applying this to China, it means that promoting unity and reconciliation inside the Church remains the first priority. The question is: are we doing it? After the clear guidelines of the letter of the Pope, many continue to discuss about the correct interpretation of certain declarations in the letter; as if they are searching for a pretext so as not to start walking the way of reconciliation. This way the whole letter of the Pope misses its purpose. Those who practice the ministry of reconciliation, however, actively try to communicate with the other community; they avoid criticizing them from a distance but give priority to whatever can bring the two closer to each other. Every positive step made in that direction makes them happy.

Pope Benedict XVI leads the way to dialogue
The Pope spoke the truth about the Church in China, using charitable words when speaking to the faithful as well as when speaking to the civil authorities. He made it clear that there is only one Church in China but pointed with regret to the drama of the internal division; all along he showed understanding for both communities. He did not hesitate to call on all to promote reconciliation and form one Church. This Church will obviously not be called the "official" nor the "unofficial" Church community. It will simply be the "Catholic Church in China". The Pastoral Letter is an invitation to the Chinese Catholic faithful to pass beyond their present internal division. The Pope does not impose anything but clearly indicates the direction in which he expects each Church leader to guide their faithful, namely: the way to reconciliation and unity. And he immediately adds that he fully trusts the bishops and the decisions they take in conscience in order to face the often so controversial requests from civil authorities. These constitute precisely the complex circumstances in which these bishops have to guide their Church. The statement published in Rome (March 2010) by the Commission on the Church in China wanted only to reflect this fair and just attitude of the Pope; nothing more, nothing less.

A faithful announcer of the Word or minister of reconciliation is not necessarily the one who wins an argument on the web, but he or she who does not hesitate to take concrete steps towards building trust between the two communities, thus fostering reconciliation.

Dialogue also between Church and State
Evangelization always happens within a cultural context, in a country with its own history, philosophy, economic and political system. The modern society of the communistic People's Republic of China is precisely the milieu in which the Church of China wishes to rebuild itself and to evangelize. This implies a priori that the Church wishes to dialogue with the State. Here, too, Pope Benedict XVI points out the way in his letter (Nr 7). He clearly indicates the obstacles but he leaves it to the Chinese bishops to decide on how to undertake the dialogue with the government. He even adds: "It could be that the final decision does not obtain the consensus of all the priests and faithful. I express the hope, however, that it will be accepted, albeit with suffering, and that the unity of the diocesan community with its own Pastor will be maintained " (Nr 7).

Rome seeks an agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops. The Pope points to what Jesus said: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's" (Mt 22:21). In April and May this year some bishops were ordained in China. All were appointed by the Pope and recognized by the government. This reveals a progress that so far we never knew. And several signals indicate that more ordinations will follow this year. We hope and pray that the delicate dialogue continues.

The Spirit unites the community during the Eucharist
Without any further discussion, questioning or clarification of the letter of the Pope, Chinese faithful started to walk the way of reconciliation as soon as the letter was published. They celebrated the Eucharist because it is here that the Spirit is at work. We should all simply follow in their footsteps, in spite of some realities that might, in the words of the Pope, be painful to accept.