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Papal Power and the End Times
Pope to urge 'healing' of China's
divided church
By Chris Buckley BEIJING, Reuters
An open letter from the Pope to China's Catholics will urge healing
between both sides of the divided church and set out the Vatican's hopes
for greater religious freedom in the Communist country, a church source
said.
The letter, due to appear within weeks, will mark a big step in the Holy
See's effort to open official ties with China, severed after the
Communist Party came to power in 1949.
But it would focus on forging unity among believers split between
China's state-backed church and an "underground" church loyal to Rome,
said the source familiar with dealings between the Vatican and Beijing.
"His primary concern is to help the reconciliation between the two
communities," said the Hong Kong-based church source, speaking by phone
overnight. He requested anonymity, citing the sensitivity of ties.
"I think there will be a strong invitation to the two sides to try to
work together to heal those differences."
Beijing and the Vatican have been estranged since the Chinese Communist
Party came to power. The party first persecuted the faithful and then in
the past three decades allowed worship only in state-controlled
churches, mosques and temples.
In recent years, the two sides have edged towards restoring formal ties,
and a Vatican meeting in January focused on China. Since his election in
April 2005, Pope Benedict has made normalizing relations one of his
priorities.
The Vatican is the only European state to keep diplomatic ties with
Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing says is a breakaway
province that must accept reunification.
The Pope's planned letter, however, highlights how the future of the
Chinese church rests not just on diplomatic negotiations but on
relations among millions of believers who share basic beliefs but have
been split by politics and history.
China's 10 million or more Catholics are divided between the
government-approved church, which honors the Pope but accepts controls
demanded by the Communist Party, and the underground church which
recognizes only Vatican authority.
In recent years, that divide has created tensions over the appointment
of bishops, with Chinese authorities naming some bishops who have not
won the blessing of the Pope, something even clergy in the state-backed
church now often seek and get.
The most prominent bishop in the state-backed church, Fu Tieshan, died
last week, opening a vacancy in the sensitive Beijing diocese. Fu, who
also used the Christian name Michael, did not have the Vatican's
blessing.
The church source said the Holy See had hopes that Fu's successor would
have papal approval. Beijing authorities appeared divided over whether
Fu's successor should have Vatican blessing.
"They have to resolve their internal issues," he said.
The vice chairman of the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic
Association, Liu Bainian, who often speaks on behalf of the state
church, was notably tight-lipped when asked about Vatican involvement in
choosing Fu's successor.
"Now we're attending to Bishop Fu's passing and aren't concerned about
those issues," he said.
Asked about the Pope's role in choosing bishops, Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said the Vatican should not "interfere
in China's internal affairs". But Liu also repeated that China hoped for
better ties.
The Pope's letter would spell out his position that bishops must come
under his authority, and would set forth broader demands for religious
freedom, the church source said.
"It's almost impossible for the bishops to meet freely on their own.
There are always officials around," he said.
Pope Benedict would send his letter to China's foreign ministry days
before its public release "as a friendly gesture", he said.
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