The B'eijing-Rome Dialogue

100 Chronicle years in camp for her activities. Though ex this has been deferred for two years but she tremely weak she nevertheless resumed her is required not to leave her place of resi work with the CPR after her release in late dence without permission from the militia. 1973. and remained active until her depar Then, between May and July, the homes of ture for the United States with her family in several Council activists were searched, in 1979. cluding those of the Khorev family in Kish During the early 1970s Lidiya~s place as inyov. the Kozorezovs in Voroshilovgrad leader of the Council was taken by Galina and the Naprienkos in Moscow. At the Rytikova. whose husband Pavel was then home ofVasili and Natasha Dimitriyev (the serving a prison term. It was during this daughter of Galina Rytikova) the CPR arc period that the Bulletin was founded; as hive was found and confiscated. Secretary. Rytikova collected the Of those affected by the searches, two ap documentation. and it was in her home that peared likely to face prosecution. Ulyana the members of the CPR compiled the Bul Germanyuk (whose husband Stepan is in letin. During 1978. Galina was forced by prison), an active member of the Council, threats of psychiatric internment to go into was arrested on 23 July while visiting her hiding with her three youngest children. daughter in the Crimea. Since then her Alexandra Kozorezova was formally children have been unable to obtain any elected President of the CPR after the emi further information about her position. In gration of Lidiya Vins. She too was soon Barnaul (Siberia) Valentina Firsova has forced to go into hiding with her three-year been warned not to leave her home town old son. but in February 1981 she was disco and this may well be a prelude to prosecu vered and arrested. At her trial in August tion. 1981 she was given a three-year suspended Pressure and arrests have never suc sentence which meant that she could remain ceeded in thwarting the activities of the at liberty provided that she ceased her in Council in the past and it seems unlikely volvement with the Council's work. In an that they will do so now. The members still appeal to the authorities. Kozorezova made hold firmly to their 1976 declaration that it clear that her conscience would not per they would not cease to function until three mit her to turn a blind eye to the sufferings conditions were met: of her fellow-believers. In April 1982 she 1. a complete end to persecution by the was re-arrested. together with Galina authorities of believers because of their Rytikova and four other members of the faith; Council during a meeting in the home of 2. the release and rehabilitation of all A. D. Belkunova. Literature and personal who have been condemned for the property were confiscated from the women. Word of God; and Rytikova and Kozorezova were held 3. it is made possible for their spiritual for a few days. Only one of the detained centre. the Council of Churches of women was brought to trial, however: Evangelical Christian Baptists, to func Lidiya Bondar, who had been involved in tion normally. , the organisation of summer camps for the 1 children of Baptist prisoners, was sentenced Given that present Soviet religious policy to three years' camp. shows little sign of meeting these demarids, The next clampdown on the CPR came in one must assume that the Council will en the spring of 1985 at a time when the deavour to continue their work for the number of Baptist arrests was running at an foreseeable future. extremely high level. On 1 March, Serafima JOHN ANDERSON Yudintseva was given a two-year sentence; The B'eijing-Rome Dialogue The Holy See has been trying for some establish contact with the government in twenty years to start dialogue with the Bei Beijing. The Popes have never missed an jing government. A Papal Nuncio in Asia opportunity for expressing their desire for told me twenty years ago that the Nuncios dialogue. At Epiphany 1967, Pope Paul VI of the region had been instructed to try to praised the ardent youth of China (not Chronicle 101 realising that these were the red guards who test followed from the Patriotics in China. had vandalised the churches a few months In November 1981, a number of priests earlier). The same Pope Paul, visiting Hong were arrested in various parts of the Kong in 1970 - carefully avoiding Taiwan country. so as not to irritate Beijing - addressed The major cause of irritation for Beijing kind words to the Chinese people. The was, however, something different. It was Nuncio in Taiwan was recalled in 1971, and that a large majority of Catholics had not for many years a charge d'affaires has been joined the Patriotics and, more important the senior official there. All these were sig still, that the still surviving old legitimate nals of goodwill. They fell on deaf ears. No bishops had ordained priests and successors signals came from Beijing. Indeed, it has to the bishops. The newly-ordained bishops been reliably related that when Beijing's and priests are persecuted and when caught ambassador in Australia entered a restaur are given heavy prison sentences. Not a ant and noticed the presence of the Papal word appears about this in the press. For Nuncio, who was attending another func the communists the idea that any citizen, in tion, he promptly turned and left. Obvi any aspect of his private life, should not be ously he had instructions from Beijing not under the command of the party, is incon to have even the slightest contact with the ceivable. Foreign visitors are unable to representative of the Holy See. Recently, meet the "non-Patriotics". They hear only however, the ambassador of Beijing joined of "freedom of religion". the other ambassadors to receive the Pope Meanwhile, the world can see that not in Togo. The North Korean ambassador one but three Cardinals, Cardinal Etch was also there. egeray of Marseilles, Cardinal Konig of Nonetheless, the situation between Bei Vienna and Cardinal Sin of Manila, have vi jing and Rome has not improved. When sited China and been courteously received. Mgr Dominic Tang was named Archbishop Inside China these visits are regarded as of Canton in 1981, the Patriotic Association homage and as quasi-acknowledgement of of China organised loud protests through the status of the Patriotic Church. The offi out the country, ignoring the fact that the cial doctrine is that the Patriotic Church is title was due to Mgr Tang who, though con independent from Rome - newly-or secrated bishop in 1951, was only Apostolic dained Patriotic bishops have to take an Administrator of the Canton diocese. The oath to that effect - but keeps friendly rela French archbishop of the diocese was still tions, on equal footing, with all the churches alive, living abroad. When the French arch of the world, the Roman Church included. bishop died, the title was due to Bishop This was put in a classic formula by the Tang, but he was in prison, confined in an newly-ordained auxiliary bishop of the Pat unknown place. After his release in 1980, riotic Church in Shanghai, Louis .Jin but before his departure for Hong Kong, Luxian. In an interview given to the the authorities in Canton publicly acknow magazine Asian Focus, he went so far as to ledged him as Bishop of Canton. The Holy say that the churches - the Patriotics and See ~ould not deny him the fuller title. Since Rome - are equal, equal like the Persons 1946, when the hierarchy was established in of the Holy Trinity. China, the bishops of the capitals of all pro Auxiliary Bishop Jin is an important card vinces have been archbishops. As Canton in the hands of the Patriotics. He is a Jesuit was the provincial capital of Kwangtung trained theologian who studied in Europe, province, the title was due to Bishop Tang. knows western languages, and in the early The Holy See could hardly be expected to 1950s was head of the Shanghai seminary. take into account the fact that in the mean He is intelligent, smart and smooth, as only time the communists had abolished the title a Shanghainese can be. In his public of archbishop - an act which show~d that speeches he repeats the official party line, the so-called Patriotic Catholic Association accusing the Holy See of crimes committed is not a mere association of priests and against the Chinese nation, and saying that bishops but is governing the internal affairs his own Bishop, Ignatius Gong, committed of the church under the direct rule of the crimes against the state and therefore was Communist Party. When in 1981 the Holy justly condemned for life. Bishop Gong, Father~ while in Manila, praised the after thirty years in prison, was released in Catholics in China who had remained loyal July 1985, just before Jin's visit to Hong in spite of hardships, another wave of pro- Kong. During the past few years hundreds 102 Chronicle and thousands of "counter-revolutionaries" bishops in China who in the confusion ofthe condemned during Mao's time have been early days turned Patriotic and are still for rehabilitated, but not Bishop Gong. He is mally in the Association, but now, realising still <I "counter-revolutionary criminal". A that they were misled, are faithful to Rome. court decision placed him in the custody of There are even some newly-ordained the Sh<lnghai P<ltriotics, and there he re bishops in the Patriotic church - not in the mains, isolated from the world.

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