PAGE 6 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2000 CATHOLIC COURIER DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER. N.Y. WORLD & NATION Cardinal reflects on China visit triotic association rejects papal authority, By John Thavis Reporting on the ar­ and the patriotic bishops' conference elects I'.utholii News Ser\iie rests, UCA News, an its own bishops. Asian news agency V\ IK' \N Cin - The hopes and djff> In the Vatican Radio interview, Cardinal based in Thailand, I'tiliies in Vatican-Chinese relations were Etchegaray said he expressed to his Chi­ quoted unnamed urll-illustrated in September by the visit of nese hosts his deep disappointment at not priests of the govern­ a luirh-ranking Vatican oifieial to Beijing, being able to meet with clandestine ment-approved patriot­ b\ China's arrest oi Catholic activists'itnd Catholics. He said he viewed the church in ic church who said that hv a public squabble over the upcoming China essentially as "a single church in the Chinese govern­ ( anoni/ation of Chinese martvrs. which a common faith is trying, bit by bit, ment had "set this year Fiench Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, head to overcome that which, up. to now, unfor­ as a 'year of strict con­ ol the Vatican's jubilee committee and a tunately separates 'clandestine' and 'offi- trol,' with the Catholic top aide to Pope John Paul II, met with a - rial' (Catholics)." Church among its tar­ number of government officials and those Addressing a symposium on religion and gets." of the government-approved Chinese peace Sept. 14 — officially the reason for Bishop Zeng has Catholic Patriotic Association during a vis­ his trip to China — the cardinal underlined spent more than 30 it Sept. 13-21. ; the Catholic Church's commitment to de­ years in Chinese pris­ Cardinal Etchegaray's encounters were fending human rights and religious free­ ons, said the Stamford, significant, according to church sources, dom. He said "fear of the other" was often Conn.-based Cardinal and even the Chinese government de­ at the root of conflicts, and he urged that Kung Foundation, scribed his visit as a "success" that allowed interreligious respect go beyond "simple which reports on per­ lor a productive exchange of views. tolerance." secution of Catholics In an interview with Vatican Radio Sept. Respect, he said, is "founded not on the in China. Joseph Kung, 2f>. Cardinal Etchegarav said his trip gave right to true religion but on every human foundation president, him hope that the church in China was being's right to a religious freedom that is called on Cardinal. moving toward unity and that dialogue also protected by the laws of society." Etchegaray to protest with state authorities would increase. He Yet the same day the cardinal made the the arrests to Chinese s.ud he was happy to find that the pope was remarks, Chinese authorities arrested two authorities. Later the \ lewed as an inspiring leader even among bishops and a priest of the underground cardinal said he had the government-backed Catholics — a fact church. In separate raids in the southeast­ done so "vigorously." uhich, he said, "in no way diminishes my ern province ofjiangxi, police arrested 81- Meanwhile, a sepa­ recognition of the heroic fidelity of the year-old Bishop Thomas Zeng Jingmu of rate controversy was. church of silence" in China. Yu Jiang, Auxiliary Bishop Deng Hui and brewing over the Oct 1 Cardinal Etchegaray met with State Father Liao Haiqing, the Italian news canonization of 120 Councilor Ismail Amat, a member of die agency ANSA reported. Chinese martyrs — 87 Reutsra/CNS executive bodv of the state administration, Bishop Zeng, under house arrest for Chinese and 33 mis­ Newly ordained bishops leave the Cathedral of the who deals with religious affairs, and with a- more than two years, yelled as he was sionaries — killed be­ Immaculate Conception in Beijing Jan. 6. Chinese Bishop diret toi of the Office for Religious Affairs. dragged from his residence and appeared tween 1648 and 1930, Liu Yuanren ordained five new state-approved bishops in The cardinal also held talks with the to have been beaten by police, ANSA said. most during the anti- defiance of Pope John Paul II, who alone has the author­ pi esident of the patriotic association, Bish­ Church sources in Rome said the arrests foreigner Boxer Rebel­ ity for naming bishops in the church. op Michael Fu Tieshan of Beijing, and with did not appear to be direcdy related to the lion of 1900. government-recognized Bishop Aloysius cardinal's visit, but were part of a long-run­ Cardinal Etchegaray heard complaints "This is a strictly religious ceremony," Jin Luxian of Shanghai. Unlike several mil­ ning crackdown on unauthorized religious on the topic from government officials and Navarro-Valls said. "It expresses the great lion clandestine Catholics in China, the pa­ practice. leaders of the government-recognized evangelizing vitality of the local churches church. The patriotic association leaders re­ which sent the missionaries and a strong vi­ portedly told him that mainland bishops tality in adhesion (to die faidi) on the part were not consulted before die canonizadon of the Chinese." and said they would have difficulty ex­ As for the date, the spokesman said the plaining the ceremony to their faithful — reasons for choosing Oct. 1 were "so obvi­ especially since it was widely seen as a po­ ous that the possibility of other interpreta­ litical event. tions was not even considered." He said Oc­ A fytbiri The government objected to those being tober was. traditionally dedicated to named saints, which it said included at least remembering the importance of mission­ one "anti-China" missionary, and to the ary activity, and Oct. 1 was the feast of St. date of the canonization, Oct. 1, China's Therese of Lisieux, patron of missions. National Day, which marks the beginning "Unfortunately, there are not direct allowm of communist rule. diplomatic channels" with Beijing, so ex­ Cardinal Etchegaray dismissed the idea plaining diese things becomes more diffi­ that the pope was trying to embarrass die cult, Nayarro-Valls said, noting that all of Chinese government by die choice of the the martyrs being canonized died before canonizadon date, saying: "John Paul II, a 1930, "not in the context of the present po­ great friend of China, would not stoop to litical situation hi China." ?• .-,' •• hmty Bash such base calculations." As for accusations that some of the mis­ Vatican spokesman Joaquin-Navarro sionaries were anti-Chinese, Navarro-Valls Vails held an unusual briefing Sept. 22 to said people making those claims "must rebut the Chinese allegations and try to provide proof and documentation" if tiiey For ALL young ^4ults Cages 21+). smooth the diplomatic waters. He said the want the allegations to be taken seriously. Presented by the Catholic Courier and Odyssey, canonizations held no hidden political mes­ "In reality, all of these martvrs, includ­ sage. ing the foreign missionaries, loved China the diocesan young-adult network. deeply and tried to inculturate die Gospel," he said. f ridgy, October 27 N0THNAGLE ADVANTAGE 8 p.m. to midnight Knights of Columbus Hall, 70 Barrett Prive, Webster

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