Sino-Vatican Relations: Past, Present and Future

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6 word format

document in English

history 1789 to present

presentation

published 03/10/2007

review : Completed

level : General public

requested 1 times

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Summary

This past Easter Sunday Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to the Catholics in China which provided long-requested guidance to Chinese bishops in the country. The Pope outlined his opinions on how to respond to illicitly ordained bishops, as well as how to strengthen ties with the Patriotic Association and the Communist government. The government founded the Patriotic Association in 1957 to manage the administration and life of the Catholic Church in China, which is referred to as the "official church." The underground church declares loyalty to Rome alone. These strained Sino-Vatican relations have existed since the Communist came to power over fifty years ago.

This past Easter Sunday Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to the Catholics in China which provided long-requested guidance to Chinese bishops in the country.
The arrival of Christianity into China can be traced back to the Nestorians in 635.
One its most general level, the Rites Controversy posed a question of whether it is necessary to change a culture in order to adopt a foreign religion.
These lasting consequences have continued to plague the Sino-Vatican relationship up until today
Before 1949 the Catholic Church hierarchy in China was dominated by foreigners who regarded China as an area to proselytize.
Archbishop Antonio Riberi, chose to stay behind in Nanjing to continue his pastoral duties even though the rest of the foreign diplomatic corps had left with the Nationalist Government.
The problem of the independence of the Chinese Church is the more complex of the two present-day problems.
Another less emphasized reason on the independence issue put forward by some Chinese clergymen is that all bishops are equal before God.
Since the idea was first suggested in 1958, the issue of excommunication has since weighed heavily on the Chinese Church.
Even with recent developments in fixing the relationship, the prospect for a final reconciliation of the Sino-Vatican problem does not appear to be in the near future.
From the organization perspective there are many international groups which have maintained relations with both China and Taiwan.