Centenary of Msgr. Celso Costantini's arrival in Beijing
On December 29, 1922, the first apostolic delegate landed in the Chinese capital. The anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the legacy bequeathed to Chinese Catholicism in terms of inculturation and promotion of a Church with an authentically Chinese face.
Milan (AsiaNews) - Today marks 100 years since the arrival in Beijing of Msgr. Celso Costantini, an Italian archbishop and the first apostolic delegate to China. Fr. Gianni Criveller, a PIME missionary and sinologist, traces the legacy of this seminal figure of contemporary Catholicism who, along with Matteo Ricci, still commands respect and gratitude among Catholics in China today.
1922 was a pivotal year in the life of Celso Costantini, apostolic delegate to China. It was an important year for the Catholic Church in China which, primarily thanks to Costantini, began to implement the reform desired by the magna charta of modern mission: the Maximun Illud (1919) of Benedict XV. Costantini's goals were the promotion of the indigenous clergy, the work of inculturation and the process of emancipation from the patronage of France and other European powers.
On December 29, 1922, exactly 100 years ago, Archbishop Celso Costantini arrived in Beijing, the capital of the Republic of China, as the Chinese nation was then called. The Republic of China now exists on the island of Taiwan, with which the Holy See has maintained formal diplomatic relations, established 80 years ago on Oct. 23, 1942, and commemorated with significant events by the Embassy of China (Taiwan) to the Holy See.
Some of the most treasured legacies of Costantini, whose Chinese name is Gang Hengyi (剛恆毅), can be found in Taiwan today: the Fu Jen Catholic University, founded in Beijing in 1925 under Costantini's auspices, and now operating in Taipei. Costantini promoted the establishment of a school for the promotion of Chinese Christian artwithin the university. It was a real revolution for the visual imagination of Chinese Catholics, who could finally enjoy the sacred figures of Jesus, Mary, the Holy Family, etc., portrayed with Chinese likenesses for their devotion. Luke Chen, who had an intense collaboration with Costantini, was the most significant artist of this artistic movement.
The Disciples of the Lord (Discipuli Domine) congregation, which Costantini founded in May 1931 so that Chinese presbyters and religious could be trained in the culture of their country for more effective evangelization work, continues to operate in Taiwan.
It was December 29, 1922, when Costantini set foot in the capital. "I arrived in Peking at about 11 o'clock in the evening. Of the immense city I glimpsed in the night only the shadow of the great city walls. Black, tall, massive, spurred by great square outposts, they loomed in the dark with their battlements, like the gigantic ghost of the great past."
Later, Costantini wrote about Beijing's allure: "Beijing is the Rome of the Far East. Just as Rome radiated Latin humanitas to Europe, so Beijing radiated Eastern humanitas to China, Korea, Japan and Indochina...Beijing's charm lies in its ultra-thousand-year history and its monuments, which are a reflection of that history...It has the most beautiful city walls that exist in the world."[i]
It is not difficult to imagine Costantini's excitement, and grave awareness of the importance of the historic mission he had been entrusted with. Anyone who has reached Beijing and lived there knows this feeling. The arrival in Beijing is an arrival point and a milestone for a missionary in China.
The life of Matteo Ricci, whom Pope Francis declared Venerable last Dec. 17, is "an ascent to Beijing." The Macerata missionary reached it, stage by stage, in January 1601, after 18 years of a strenuous missionary itinerary that began in Macao.
It was Costantini himself who inherited Ricci's baton, rehabilitating his memory and following in his footsteps in the areas of inculturation, promotion of the local church and enfranchisement from colonial politics.
On his return to Rome to take up a leading role in the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, Costantini inspired the radical Vatican turn in the issue of Chinese Rites (1939). Not coincidentally, Costantini visited Matteo Ricci's tomb on Jan. 1, 1923, a few days after his arrival.
When he arrived in China, Costantini was a 46-year-old bishop from Castions di Zoppola in the diocese of Concordia in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. As a presbyter, he had distinguished himself for his generous assistance to the martyred people of his land during the First War.
In 1920 Benedict XV had appointed him apostolic administrator of Rijeka, a border city at the center of a difficult conflict between Italians and Croats. He handled the difficult situation with shrewdness, and the following year he was elected bishop. The Holy See appreciated Costantini's qualities in untangling delicate situations.
On June 11, 1922, a letter from Rome informed him of the new Pope Pius XI's desire to send him to China as Apostolic Delegate. He objected that he had no sinological or diplomatic training to justify such a choice: but Rome had decided and everything would be kept secret.
Indeed, the reaction of France, holder of the protectorate over the Catholic missions, was feared. In 1886, that is, only 36 years earlier, France had succeeded in getting Pope Leo XIII to back down from a decision that had already been announced: the establishment of diplomatic relations with China and the sending of a nuncio to Beijing.
Only a few weeks of preparation for Costantini. Everything happened quickly: papal decree of appointment on August 9; creation of papal delegation to China and elevation to archbishop on August 12; brief trip to France, strictly incognito, to improve his French. Departure from Venice took place on September 22. Suez Canal, Sri Lanka and Singapore: in a few weeks Costantini arrived (unexpectedly) in Hong Kong, his first stop (Nov. 8, 1922).
The Catholic mission in the British colony was led by the missionaries of the Foreign Missions of Milan (now PIME). Heading the apostolic vicariate was Lombard Bishop Domenico Pozzoni, who had been a student of Achille Ratti, aka Pius XI. The same pope suggested that he consult on the affairs of China with Bishop Pozzoni himself.
Pius XI felt that the bishop of Hong Kong would share the need for reform, the purpose of the mission that Costantini could finally reveal publicly. He wrote in his diary, "The Holy See does not play politics and has no imperialist aims in China. The politics of foreign powers is not its business. The Holy Father loves China and sincerely desires its good. China to the Chinese."[ii]
Costantini stayed in Hong Kong for about a month, during which time he received the painful news of the death of his beloved mother. He would then return to Hong Kong on June 13, 1926 for the episcopal ordination of Enrico Valtorta, Pozzoni's successor.
It was not easy for Costantini to implement a goal that many missionaries disagreed with, arguing that the local clergy were not prepared to take a leadership role and that the foreign protectorate was necessary for the protection of missionaries and Chinese Catholics.
Constantini faced resistance from European diplomats in China (even those with Catholic backgrounds) and sometimes from the missionaries themselves. To realize the Maximum illud Costantini would have had to set himself against an established missionary and political mindset.
Nonetheless, Costantini was a balanced and determined man. He did not lose sight of the goals of his mission. He also found supporters of his innovative projects, among them Belgian Father Vincent Lebbe.
PIME missionaries were also valuable supporters of the Delegate. In fact, the only two regional seminaries that, following Costantini's directions were built in the Chinese architectural style, were built in precisely two PIME-led missions: Kaifeng and Hong Kong.
With the Shanghai Council of 1924 and the episcopal ordination of the first six Chinese bishops in 1926, Costantini was finally able to set the Chinese mission on the path of renewal, reliance on Chinese clergy and inculturation.
He is a pivotal figure in contemporary Catholicism and, along with Matteo Ricci, still commands respect and gratitude among Catholics in China today.
* PIME missionary and sinologist
[i] Celso Costantini, Con i missionari in Cina. Memorie di fatti e di idee. Roma, 1946, vol. 1, pp. 58-59. 200-201.
[ii] Celso Costantini, Con i missionari in Cina. Memorie di fatti e di idee. Roma, 1946, vol. 1, p. 4.
.png)
