The white statuette was placed on the far right of the long stand of the large amphitheater. Slender, hoisting a baby above her head, Our Lady of Sheshan seemed to watch over a conference dedicated to relations between the Vatican and China on Tuesday May 21 at the Pontifical Urban University.
It is in the “Aula magna Benedict XVI” of this university, which trains seminarians from all “mission” countries, that the Vatican hammered home its messages to the Chinese authorities, present in Rome: the Catholic Church is not a colonial power, and the development of Chinese Catholicism is desirable. And this, in a particular political context, since the Church has been the subject of strong tensions since the 1950s, the date of the breakdown of relations between Beijing and the Vatican, and the creation of a Catholic Church led by the government. , breaking with Rome.
It was first of all the Pope himself who sent this message. François, who attaches particular importance to the Chinese issue, sent the participants of the conference a video, subtitled in Chinese, in which he discusses “open paths to boldly commit to proclaiming and bearing witness to the Gospel” in the country.
He particularly mentioned the Shanghai Synod of 1924 – the theme of the conference organized by the Vatican – during which Catholic leaders invested in China recognized the need for the country to have Chinese, and no longer foreign, clergy. . A work carried out at the time under the leadership of a bishop, Celso Costantini (1876-1958), sent by the Vatican to the Middle Kingdom.
“Evangelize, not colonize”
“Costantini simply repeated that the mission of the Church was “to evangelize and not to colonize””, recalled François. The Church in the country must thus take on a “Chinese face”he continued. “The proclamation of salvation through Christ can only reach every human community and every person if it is expressed in their mother tongue”underlined the Pope.
Throughout the conference, Vatican representatives used this detour back 100 years to hammer home the same message. “In Costantini’s view, it was obvious that it was necessary to move from the concept of foreign mission to that of the missionary Church”, detailed Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See. Before quoting again this man of the Church from a century ago: “The Pope is the spiritual leader of all Catholics in the world, to whatever nation they belong. This obedience to the Pope not only does not harm the love that each one owes to his own country, but purifies and revives it. »
Sinicization
These words were addressed directly to Chinese officials, also present in the room. Because since Mao, China has never stopped seeing religions as a tool of foreign interference. This is why from the 1950s, the regime created associations to keep all religions under its control. The movement, called “sinicization”is particularly supported by the current president, Xi Jinping.
The bishop of Shanghai, who came specially from China, went in the same direction. “The Chinese government’s religious freedom policy has no interest in changing the Catholic faith, but only hopes that the Catholic clergy and faithful will defend the interests of the Chinese people and free themselves from the control of foreign powers”, explained Mgr Joseph Shen Bin. Who continued: “After the founding of the new China in 1949, the Church in China has always remained faithful to its Catholic faith. »
Skepticism in the room
“We will continue to build the Church in China into a holy and Catholic Church that conforms to God’s will, accepts China’s excellent traditional cultural heritage, and appeals to today’s Chinese society”, continued the bishop, sitting not far from Cardinal Parolin. At the end of the morning, the two men showed their closeness, willingly allowing themselves to be photographed together.
However, some in the room did not hide their skepticism after hearing a speech that seemed very close to the party line. “The bishop could have been a little more open than that”explained an excellent connoisseur of the file. “Is a Church reserved for nationals of a country, and which totally excludes foreigners, particularly missionaries, still Catholic? »asks another.
Alongside the bishop of Shanghai is Zheng Xiaojun, a researcher and president of the Chinese Religious Society, an organization playing a leading role in the movement of “sinicization” religions. She also widely quoted the Chinese president in her speech, praising “excellent Chinese culture”, “5,000 years old”and the need to “promote understanding between peoples” in order to surpass everything “feeling of superiority”.
Vatican II seen by Beijing
This government official also praised the Second Vatican Council, which she described as having allowed “the Roman Catholic Church” of “continuously dialogue with other Christian Churches and other religions”, “liberating theology from its authoritarian and dogmatic past”.
How will these explicit signs of rapprochement translate into the coming weeks? “You need patience and hope”, summarized Cardinal Parolin. The Secretary of State affirmed the willingness of the Holy See to renew the agreement concluded in 2018 allowing Rome and Beijing to jointly appoint bishops in the country. But above all, he mentioned another possibility, which would constitute a very important step in relations between the two parties.
“We hope to be able to have a stable presence in Chinaexplained the cardinal, on the sidelines of the congress. Even if this might not initially have the form of an apostolic nunciature. » A development that would allow Rome and Beijing to take a significant step in restoring their relations.
