60 years of the PRC: Christian churches say the Party is not God
Rome (AsiaNews) - On the occasion of October 1, 60 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Christian churches have been "invited" to hoist the red flag before the altar as a sign of gratitude for the Party's contribution to harmony between religions.
Many young people are enthusiastic about this link between faith and patriotism. But the older generations who remember the persecution of these past 60 years, are cooler and more realistic: they recall the enthusiasm for the new republic, which quickly turned into a nightmare that has lasted to this very day. But their persecution was a prophecy. All their suffering was in turn visited on the "enemies" of Mao, the Democrat "enemies" of Deng, the young people of Tiananmen, the peasants, workers and the dissidents of today.
It can be argued that the victims of religious persecution sowed the seeds for the civil society that is now calling for respect for human rights.
The persecution of Catholics, Protestants and other religions took place immediately following the proclamation of the PRC. From the outset [1] , in fact, Maoism aimed to systematically destroy all religion as superstition, or absorb it, transforming it into a government tool controlled by organizations employed by the Party. So, right from the start, Church figures working for the people - who at the beginning were even sympathetic with the communists – found themselves having to battle against the deification and absolutism of power, to safeguard the freedom of conscience.
The first resistance to the supremacy of the party was led by those who refused to submit the faith to the wishes of the Party, but remained devoted to a Son of God, far superior to the "god" Mao. Among these it is worth remembering the great testimony offered by bishops like Ignatius Gong Pinmei of Shanghai (see photo), Dominic Tang Yiming of Guangzhou, Joseph Fan Xueyan of Baoding. All of them spent dozens of years in forced labour camps. The last one died under torture in 1992.
With the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) the work of destruction was fulfilled: monasteries were emptied and destroyed; churches were turned into factories and warehouses; bishops, priests, faithful killed or sent to forced labour camps. From '66 to '76 the entire Chinese Church, official and unofficial, was a church of martyrs. The Party proclaimed religions "abolished".
In the late '70s, with the liberal policies of Deng Xiaoping, and to improve China's image abroad, some churches were reopened, and many priests and bishops freed from prison labour camps. But once again it put a choice to them: either accept a tight state control of the liturgy and pastoral work, or bring their activities underground, acting in secret. To escape control, many of them built up parallel structures to those of the official church: homes used as churches, seminaries, chapels.
All of these structures and activities, already banned officially in 85, were categorically condemned as illegal in 1994, when the government published the so-called rules for religions, signed by the then Prime Minister Li Peng, the "butcher of Tiananmen". The Regulation required all religious communities to register with the Religious Affairs Bureau, which monitors places of worship, the priests who officiate in them, the faithful, the times of liturgies, vocations, seminary rectors, professors, financial resources, relations with foreign believers.
Since then, in many regions, China has been carrying out a campaign to eliminate all the underground communities or absorb them into the Patriotic Association, the organization that wants to build a Church independent of the pope. The resistance of the underground Catholics (and Protestants) has led to a violent of persecution – the same that today peasants, workers and activists for human rights are subjected to - but has kept alive the idea that man has the right to religious freedom, that the rule of power is not absolute.
Still today this campaign to eliminate all the underground Protestant communities and so-called domestic churches is being enacted, with the destruction of churches, the arrest the pastors, the beating of faithful, the prohibition of Bible distribution.
The Catholic community is not better off. Official bishops - about 70, approved by Beijing – are currently under an iron fist because they have secretly reconciled with the pope. The underground bishops - not recognized (about 40) - are all under house arrest. It is worth remembering that the whereabouts of some of them has been unknown for quite some time. These include: Mgr. James Su Zhimin (diocese of Baoding, Hebei), 75, arrested and disappeared in 1996, Mgr. Cosma Shi Enxiang (diocese of Yixian, Hebei), 86, who was arrested and disappeared April 13, 2001, Mgr. Julius Jia Zhiguo, who disappeared for the umpteenth time on 30 March last.
Card. Joseph Zen of Hong Kong has asked Hu Jintao to release all the bishops and priests prisoners on the occasion of the celebration of 60 years.
It is worth mentioning also that "thanks" to the Communist persecution, Catholics have more than quadrupled in the last 60 years. In '49 they were little more than 3 million, today, Catholics underground and official, who are increasingly reconciled, count more than 12 million and there are about 100 thousand newly baptized (adults) each year.
One last factor worth highlighting is another contribution that Christians, Catholics and Protestants, are making to the growth of civil society. That society, in fact, has at its centre the individual with his inalienable rights and not the state (or the supremacy of the party) who grants some rights when, how and to whom it wants. This influence was brought to bear by certain dissidents - in China or in exile abroad - who after a deep religious quest, or through their encounters with Western Christian communities, came to Christianity. People like Gao Zhisheng, Liu Xiaobo, Han Dongfang, Hu Jia discovered the Christian faith as the basis of the absolute value of the person, as the strength of their dissidence and human rights. Many of them are in jail. The Party believes this alliance between religion and human rights is the biggest threat to its survival. But a peaceful future for China depends on their work.
[1] For this historical overview, I refer to my "Mission China," Ancora, Milano 2006, pp. 157 – ff.
Foto: Kung Foundation
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05/09/2005
