Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference
Encyclopedia
In 1958, the People's Republic of China
's communist government appointed two Catholic
bishop
s to be consecrated without approval from the Vatican
. Since then, the Catholic Church in China has been controlled by a government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, that opposes submission to the Holy See
and the Pope
. Effectively, this association, if it can be considered Catholic, violates Church Canon law
section 751, which states, "...schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff..." Pope Benedict XVI
referred to its agents as "persons who are not 'ordained', and sometimes not even baptized", who "control and take decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment of Bishops" and he went on to say: "Consequently, we have witnessed a demeaning of the Petrine and episcopal ministries by virtue of a vision of the Church according to which the Supreme Pontiff, the Bishops and the priests risk becoming de facto persons without office and without power. Yet in fact, as stated earlier, the Petrine and episcopal ministries are essential and integral elements of Catholic doctrine on the sacramental structure of the Church."
Today, the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference or, more strictly, the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference, (天主教台灣地區主教團) is located in Taipei, Taiwan
, as the Episcopal Conference
of the island.
The Holy See has always distinguished between the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Catholics and their bishops on the mainland, which whom it has, on separate occasions, maintained a strong bond with the underground Catholic community. Pope John Paul II
in July 1991 stated, "With what prayerful longing and love do I follow the life of the loyal Chinese Catholic communities?" Again, in September 1994, he noted that "The great majority of Chinese Catholics, precisely in order to live this fidelity in fullness, have chosen the path of suffering and silence. With deep affection, our hearts turn to these brothers and sisters of ours who suffer great hardship, thankful for their generous and heroic example." And Pope Benedict XVI
wrote a letter of 27 May 2007 to "the Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China", in order "to convey to all of you the expression of my fraternal closeness. With intense joy I acknowledge your faithfulness to Christ the Lord and to the Church, a faithfulness that you have manifested "sometimes at the price of grave sufferings". In that letter he declared that, of the mainland bishops, only "a very small number ... have not asked for, or have not yet obtained, the necessary legitimation".
Viewing Taiwan as, at least in theory, not a separate country, its Episcopal Conference is described as a "regional", not a "national" conference.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's communist government appointed two Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s to be consecrated without approval from the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Since then, the Catholic Church in China has been controlled by a government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, that opposes submission to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. Effectively, this association, if it can be considered Catholic, violates Church Canon law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
section 751, which states, "...schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff..." Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
referred to its agents as "persons who are not 'ordained', and sometimes not even baptized", who "control and take decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment of Bishops" and he went on to say: "Consequently, we have witnessed a demeaning of the Petrine and episcopal ministries by virtue of a vision of the Church according to which the Supreme Pontiff, the Bishops and the priests risk becoming de facto persons without office and without power. Yet in fact, as stated earlier, the Petrine and episcopal ministries are essential and integral elements of Catholic doctrine on the sacramental structure of the Church."
Today, the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference or, more strictly, the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference, (天主教台灣地區主教團) is located in Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, as the Episcopal Conference
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
of the island.
The Holy See has always distinguished between the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Catholics and their bishops on the mainland, which whom it has, on separate occasions, maintained a strong bond with the underground Catholic community. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in July 1991 stated, "With what prayerful longing and love do I follow the life of the loyal Chinese Catholic communities?" Again, in September 1994, he noted that "The great majority of Chinese Catholics, precisely in order to live this fidelity in fullness, have chosen the path of suffering and silence. With deep affection, our hearts turn to these brothers and sisters of ours who suffer great hardship, thankful for their generous and heroic example." And Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
wrote a letter of 27 May 2007 to "the Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China", in order "to convey to all of you the expression of my fraternal closeness. With intense joy I acknowledge your faithfulness to Christ the Lord and to the Church, a faithfulness that you have manifested "sometimes at the price of grave sufferings". In that letter he declared that, of the mainland bishops, only "a very small number ... have not asked for, or have not yet obtained, the necessary legitimation".
Viewing Taiwan as, at least in theory, not a separate country, its Episcopal Conference is described as a "regional", not a "national" conference.
External links
- Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference official website (ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
) - Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference webpage. GCatholic.com website
- Apostolic Nunciature of China webpage. GCatholic.com website