IN AN emphatic sign of worsening relations, the Holy See yesterday accused China of adopting a “repressive attitude” with regard to religious freedom.
Commenting on last week’s three-day Eighth Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives, a gathering of the Chinese state-run Catholic Patriotic Association not recognised by Rome, the Holy See accused the Chinese state of “intransigent intolerance”.
The Holy See’s virulent objections to the assembly are based on two considerations. First, the Vatican does not recognise the state-run Catholic church and therefore considers last week’s assembly to have no formal standing. Second, the Vatican has reacted angrily to reports pro-Rome bishops and priests were pressganged into attending despite Pope Benedict instructing his Chinese bishops not to go.
Last week, friars from the Jing county cathedral in Hebei province described dramatic scenes when large numbers of police literally dragged away Bishop Feng Xinmao, after a six-hour stand-off during which 30 priests encircled a police car with the bishop inside.
Yesterday’s statement said: “This was imposed on numerous bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. The manner in which it was convoked and its unfolding manifest a repressive attitude with regard to the exercise of religious liberty which it was hoped had been consigned to the past in present-day China. The persistent desire to control the most intimate areas of citizens’ lives, namely their conscience . . . does no credit to China. On the contrary, it seems to be a sign of fear and weakness rather than of strength; of intransigent intolerance rather than of openness to freedom . . .”
The Holy See’s note comes in the wake of strained relations with China. The Vatican also reacted angrily three weeks ago to the ordination of a bishop, also in Hebei province, without its approval.
The Vatican has not had normal relations with China since 1951 when the regime forced Catholics to break from Rome.