Card. Zen: Day of prayer, consolation of the Universal Church for persecuted Chinese Catholics
Paris (AsiaNews / EDA) - The World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which is celebrated
tomorrow, May 24, is a "consolation" for the Chinese Catholic
communities still persecuted by a regime that wants to dominate them. The Day
is also an expression of the Pope's care and "concern" for the Church in China.
This according to Card. Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, who explains
the value of the day desired by Benedict XVI, in conjunction with the feast of
Our Lady of Sheshan, the sanctuary of China, a few kilometers from Shanghai.
Card. Zen is in France to attend the "Night of the witnesses,"
prepared by a meeting of "Aid to the Church in Need." In the
interview, published
on the Eglises d'Asie website, he also comments on some conclusions
regarding the work of the Vatican Commission for the Church in China and the
situation of the Chinese Church, marked by "confusion" created by
Beijing particularly through the illegitimate ordination of bishops. Here we
publish excerpts of the interview. The complete text (with our translation from
the French) will be published in the June-July monthly edition of AsiaNews
magazine.
On
May 24, Pope Benedict XVI calls the world's Catholics to unite their prayers
with those of all Catholics in China. Can you speak to us about the spiritual,
ecclesiastical and political significance of this appeal?
The Holy Father believes deeply in the power of prayer. Recently, on April 18,
during the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI spoke
of prayer referring to the early Church. He cited the passage from the Acts of
the Apostles where Peter and John were arrested for having performed a miracle
and then were released. The Holy Father recalled that members of the early
Church did gather amongst themselves to discuss what should be done, what
actions were to be taken or how to react to what we can define as persecution,
instead they gathered together to pray for the strength and grace to be able to
testify to the truth. They prayed for the courage to speak the truth and
witness to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Referring to the Acts of
the Apostles, the Pope indicates the place which he gives to prayer and invites
us all to do the same.
Can
this reference to the early persecuted church be applied to the Catholic Church
in China today?
Certainly, it's more than obvious. Indeed, the persecution is becoming more
real and concrete. On this point there is no improvement from the government.
They are employing increasingly dangerous and skilled methods, because they no
longer stop at just threatening people, instead they are now leading them into
temptation. They do not want to make martyrs, they want to encourage renegades.
For the Church this is so much worse. They have the means to test people, good,
weak or timid, and reduce them to obedience. Their tools are money, but also
prestige, honor or positions in society. Faced with this, the Holy Father
established the Day of Prayer May 24: It is something totally new and unique
and is a very eloquent sign of how much Benedict XVI cares for the Church in
China .... The Holy Father expresses concern about the Church in China, of which
he is informed in great detail .....
From
a political point of view, what is the real significance of the Day of Prayer on
May 24?
It is extremely important for Christians to know that the Universal Church
prays for them. It is a powerful source of strength. In addition, May 24th is
the day when we celebrate the memorial of the Virgin Mary, Help of Christians.
In China there are several Marian shrines, but the most famous is near Shanghai
in Sheshan. In Shanghai there is a feeling of greater freedom compared to the
rest of China. Shanghai has a special place in the [history of] the Chinese
Church. It is the place where the first synod of the Church in China was held,
in 1924, and in Sheshan then the nuncio, Msgr. Costantini, led the bishops to
consecrate Chinese Catholics to the Virgin Mary, Help of Christians. Here we
honor the Virgin Mary, who defends the Catholics and the Pope from the dangers
that are above them. The Virgin was invoked at Lepanto, and Vienna, besieged by
the Muslims. The Virgin was invoked when Napoleon made the Pope prisoner. And
Sheshan's Virgin is invoked to defend Christians.
In 2007, when Pope Benedict XVI published his letter to Catholics in China, the
Chinese government's reaction was very negative. Beijing did not want the Holy
See to insinuate [the idea] that the Chinese Church is persecuted by civil
authorities. For example, after the publication of the papal letter, in Hong
Kong we wanted to organize a pilgrimage to Shanghai. But the Chinese
authorities did not authorize us to do so. Since then, throughout the month of
May, all pilgrimages to Sheshan have been banned to groups that are not from Shanghai.
This means that the government is very unhappy that people say that the Church
is persecuted in China.
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