Shanxi Catholics appeal to Beijing to get Church property back
Tianjin (AsiaNews) In an appeal to the authorities in Tianjin, the United Front Ministry and the central government's Religious Affairs Bureau, Catholics in dioceses of Taiyuan and Yuci demand the return of property seized by the Tianjin local government in violation of laws established by the national government. The appeal comes a few days after a group of Shanxi Catholics were attacked in Tianjin where they had gone to apply for the restitution of their property.
On December 16, some 30 thugs using steel bars, sticks and bricks severely beat up a group of priests. Police intervened but failed to arrest the attackers; instead, it detained the clergymen at a local police station, denying them access to hospital care.
In their appeal, the petitioners point out that the buildings, confiscated under Mao Zedong, should have been returned after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).
As a principle, the restitution of Church properties (which provide the wherewithal to local communities) was upheld in the 1994 and 2005 regulations governing religious activities. But for years, the Municipality's Real Estate Department has managed and earned rent from the property.
The buildings at stake were owned by missionary institutions way back in the 19th and 20th centuries. Earnings from renting land and housing gave the otherwise poor missions the means to finance their activities. Before the properties were seized under Mao, their title deed was transferred to local dioceses.
Protecting such deeds has become a sensitive issue in recent years. Due to the booming Chinese economy, which has increased manifold the value of properties often located in downtown areas, local authorities in league with developers have requisitioned, destroyed, rebuilt and sold properties and plots of land that they did not own.
Not only have many owners not been compensated for their lost properties, but some have ended up evicted from their homes, kidnapped and even killed.
Although last year, China's constitution was amended to include private property rights, there are no laws yet to implement such constitutional rights, and this has left the door open to abuses and violence.
Here is the text of a petition sent to the Tianjin Municipal Government. A copy was sent to the United Front Ministry, the central government's Religious Affairs Bureau, Shanxi province's United Front Department, and Shanxi province's Religious Affairs Bureau.
The Catholic communities of the dioceses of Taiyuan and Jinzhong (Yuci), in Shanxi province, own real estate in Tianjin. After the Cultural Revolution, our country re-established religious freedom. Local authorities were instructed to return real estate that belonged to religious communities.
In 1993, the Tianjin Real Estate Department issued Regulations Nos 392, 102 and 103, whereby real estate belonging to religious communities had to be returned by July 1, 1993. This would give the communities the necessary means to support themselves.
In 1993, the Tianjin Real Estate Department took over the properties within the jurisdiction of the Tianjin Municipality that belong to the Shanxi Catholic community, but so far has not returned any of it to the Church.
On March 1, 2005 the Religious Affairs Regulations came into effect. Article 30 says: "The Law safeguards places of worship and real estate legitimately used by religious communities. It safeguards property and the legitimate use of houses, buildings, structures and all properties and incomes therewith. No organisation or individual can seize, hinder, illegally divide up, damage or place seals, requisition, restrict, expropriate or offend the legitimately owned property of religious communities or their places of worship. No one can damage archaeological artefacts that belong or are otherwise used by religious communities."
We have written several letters to the Tianjin Real Estate Department and sent representatives to raise the issue with the religious properties administrators.
Not only have they been indifferent to our request and appeal, but the have already torn down buildings on Bo Ai and Jianguo Streets without the necessary demolition permit (For this, we have filed a complaint and demanded redress).
Once again this year, our property on Jinbu Street was repaired and rented out without any permit.
Upon hearing of this outrage, the bishops, priests and faithful of the two dioceses proposed to go to Tianjin to seek redress from the local court. Some of our priests went to Tianjin to take legal action in order to better implement the religious policy of the [Communist] Party and uphold the legitimate rights of our Church.
They arrived on December 15 and were received by the deputy mayor in charge of the issue as well as some municipal leaders. The answer they got did not provide for any concrete step that would fulfill their request.
Since the authorities failed to give our priests and faithful a satisfactory answer, once more we ask the following:
1. Real estate owned by the Shanxi Catholic community in Tianjin should be returned, especially the building under renovation on Jinbu Street. Before the latter is returned to the Church, it must neither be rented out, nor sold. Buildings already rented out should be returned as well.
2. A reasonable settlement should be reached for the buildings that were torn down on Bo Ai and Jianguo Street without a permit.
3. Tianjin authorities administering properties owned by religious communities must provide detailed written information about revenues and expenditures related to the properties in question for the period in which they managed them.
4. A solution must be found for all properties owned by our community other than those on Bo Ai, Jianguo and Jinbu Streets.
The aforementioned complaint is filed by the bishops, priests and faithful of our two dioceses. We call on the Tianjin Municipality and the [Communist] Party Municipal Committee to carefully implement the Religious Affairs Regulations and pursue good policies that maintain stability and guarantee the legitimate rights of our religious community.
Finding a solution to the ownership issue of Church properties in Tianjin will enable our communities to achieve self-sufficiency, promote their integration into the wider society and help build a harmonious society [as envisaged by President Hu Jintao].
The Catholic community of the diocese of Taiyuan, Shanxi province
The Catholic community of the diocese of Jinzhong (Yuci), Shanxi province
December 18, 2005
(Translated from the Chinese by AsiaNews)
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28/04/2018 10:03
