作者 John Mok Cit Wai

为了取悦中方, 几位评论员敢于隐瞒或操控教会训导。教会的使命与支持人权和对社会的承诺相联系。耶稣从来没有挑战罗马帝国, 但却开始了一场革命。罗梅洛主教(Romero) 捍卫穷人和教会, 要面对军政府。莫哲暐的评论。

香港 (亚洲新闻) - 最近几星期, 继《亚洲新闻》报导有关梵蒂冈要求两名教廷任命的主教，让出主教职予两名处于绝罚的主教, 一些媒体发布了未经证实的报导, 指中国和教廷即将就任命中国主教达成协议。

就像以往一样, 这些声音激起教会内悲观者和乐观者之间的对话, 陈日君枢机指责国务院「出卖教会」, 并指教宗的合作者与教宗本人之间出现破裂，而梵蒂冈新闻部却声称两者之间保持和谐。围绕这一核心, 有一些记者和人物似乎想奉承中国，以推动签署协议, 显示中国教会的完全「非危险」处境, 并对它有极大赞赏, 因为中国体现了是教会社会训导的最好执行者。

以下的评论提出另一方的观点: 鉴于针对北京侵犯人权的长长清单, 有人声称教会「对人权不感兴趣」。以下是在美国的莫哲暐撰文, 他是《天主教徒学者致函各地主教团:呼吁关注中梵可能达成之协议又请圣座三思》发起人之一，他们认为这是「一个可悲和不可逆转的错误」，吁请教廷「临崖勒马」:

In a report by Hong Kong Free Press Francesco Sisci, a researcher at the Renmin University, was quoted saying: “The church is not interested in politics. It’s not for human rights, it’s not against human rights”. He is so wrong that I could not believe these are words coming out from the mouth of a “church expert”.

In his first encyclical Redemptor Hominis, St. John Paul II writes: “In any case, we cannot fail to recall at this point, with esteem and profound hope for the future, the magnificent effort made to give life to the United Nations Organization, an effort conducive to the definition and establishment of man's objective and inviolable rights, with the member States obliging each other to observe them rigorously. This commitment has been accepted and ratified by almost all present-day States, and this should constitute a guarantee that human rights will become throughout the world a fundamental principle of work for man's welfare. There is no need for the Church to confirm how closely this problem is linked with her mission in the modern world.” "(RH 17).

He deplores that “If human rights are violated in time of peace, this is particularly painful and from the point of view of progress it represents an incomprehensible manifestation of activity directed against man, which can in no way be reconciled with any programme that describes itself as ‘humanistic’.(Ibid).

If one still thinks the above passages are not clear enough, let us look to the speech St John Paul gave on the World Day for Peace in 1999, titled Respect for Human Rights: The Secret of True Peace: “Defence of the universality and indivisibility of human rights is essential for the construction of a peaceful society and for the overall development of individuals, peoples and nations. To affirm the universality and indivisibility of rights is not to exclude legitimate cultural and political differences in the exercise of individual rights, provided that in every case the levels set for the whole of humanity by the Universal Declaration are respected.” (No. 3).

He then further emphasized some specific human rights: the right to life, religious freedom, the rights of citizens to participate, the rights to self-fulfillment, and the rights to peace. Both civil and political rights, and social and economic rights, shall be upheld and protected, he added.

Sisci also argued that Jesus never challenged the Roman government. Again, he is wrong. Yes, Jesus never challenged any government through political revolutions. Yet, he challenged everyone to protect the weak and the poor, and stand up against injustices. He openly and unreservedly criticized the ruling elites, and condemned those who oppressed the others. Such challenges and condemnations were fundamental, hence even more powerful than toppling a regime. It was, is, and will continue to be, a revolution of love and justice.

Quite a number of “church experts” and “papal advisors” recently keep on arguing that the Church does not want to get involved in politics, in an attempt to ease the worries of the Chinese government. They are correct, but only partially. If political involvement means acting like a state actor, supporting candidates during an election, or leading a political revolution to overthrow a regime, then the Church indeed does not want to get involved in such politics. However, politics has a much broader meaning. It also means fighting for just social, economic, and political structures, condemning oppression and injustices, and protecting the rights of the people. In this sense, the Church cannot shy away from participating in these political tasks. For we are called to walk with the poor and the weak. The Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero never intended to fight the government overtly. His mission was to protect the poor and defend the persecuted Church. Yet with such a mission of love, he had no choice but to confront the military junta, for the origin of oppression of the poor and the Church was the state itself.

Gaudium et Spes teaches us: “All Christians must be aware of their own specific vocation within the political community.” “With integrity and wisdom, they must take action against any form of injustice and tyranny, against arbitrary domination by an individual or a political party and any intolerance. They should dedicate themselves to the service of all with sincerity and fairness, indeed, with the charity and fortitude demanded by political life.” "(GS, 75).

Clearer than that!