Seminar on Religious Freedom in

Date: March 2, 2003 (Sunday) Organizer: Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese Topics & Speakers:  An Analysis of the Current Situation of the in China ...... Father Gianni Criveller (Researcher at the Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong)  Experience Sharing ...... Father Franco Mella (Kwai Chung New District Christian Grassroots Group)  An Analysis of the Changes in Religious Freedom in China in the Past 20 Years ...... Anthony Lam Sui-ki (Researcher at the Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong)  The Relations Between the Church in Hong Kong and the Church in China ...... Ze-kiun (Bishop of Hong Kong )

Father Gianni Criveller: No Change in Religious Policy The first point that I wish to make is that the Chinese government has made no progress in its religious policy in the last 20 years. The Constitution of 1982 (Article 36) and Document No. 19 of the same year have codified Deng Xiaoping's religious policy. Since then the policy has remained the same: The Party controls religions and the Church; religions must accommodate to the goals of the Communist Party. In other words, religion is tolerated as long as it serves Party policy, which currently is the modernization of the country. Recently, the viewpoints of two Mainland scholars, Pan Yue and Li Pingye have raised hope that there might be some development in the religious policy. I am less optimistic. I do not find Pan Yue and Li Pingye's suggestions really new or positive. Pan Yue suggests that the Party should go beyond condemning religion as "the opium of people". But this is nothing new. Only a few ultra-leftists would now ideologically support the theory of "religion as opium". As mentioned above, for a long time now religion has been regarded not as opium (something to be eliminated), but rather as a tool to serve and propagate the policies of the Party. Pan Yue's strategy toward religion aims at a more sophisticated, but still at the Party's complete control over religion. At the end of the day, in his own words, Pan Yue aims at "the transformation of our Party from a revolutionary Party to a Party in power, which will be able to apply new forms of (...) running religion". Li Pingye seems to support a new approach to the religious question. However, she concludes her article in a disheartening fashion: "Supporting the patriotic religious organizations, and through them mobilizing and uniting the great mass of religious believers, should be our principal task in religious work".

The Pressure on the Young Priests and the Crisis of Vocations Without a radical ideological shift in religious policy, one cannot be optimistic about the future of the Church. Officials of the Religious Affairs Bureau have not changed their attitude towards religion. They still consider religion as pre-and-non-scientific, as anti-modern and, in the case of Christianity, something foreign, if not imperialistic. China's central power has always feared that the Catholic Church, with its universal character and its reference to the authority of the , might interfere in China's internal affairs.

Appendices 80 The Religious Affairs Bureau exerts tremendous control and pressure on the Catholic faithful, especially on young priests and . The enthusiasm and the zeal of young priests and bishops are severely tested by the lack of real freedom in exercising their pastoral duties. Many new pastoral ideas and initiatives are rejected rather than approved by old fashioned and conservative RAB officials. This unfortunate situation breeds discouragement and lack of confidence in a number of young leaders in the Catholic Church. Consequently, we are witnessing the exodus of numerous priests from their ministry and a crisis of religious vocations. Father Franco Mella: I lived in the Mainland for nine and a half years, from 1991 to 2001. From 1991 to 1994, I lived in Taishan where I taught English. During those three years, I celebrated only one Mass. It was on Christmas of 1991. A small group of Catholics from Hong Kong came to visit me and therefore, I was allowed to celebrate Mass. After that, since relations between the local officials and the nuns were not very good, I could no longer celebrate Mass. In 1994, I went to Jiangmen where I lived at the Church and concelebrated at Mass with the priest almost everyday. It felt very strange. The two places were only 60 kilometers apart but the situation could not have been more different. This made me realize that when we think this or that about the Underground Church, the Open Church, the Religious Affairs Bureau and the Catholic Patriotic Association, we should remember that China has a thousand Churches, a thousand Religious Affairs Bureaus, a thousand Catholic Patriotic Associations. Therefore, we need to look carefully at each individual situation because in different places, there are different people who have different ways of handling things. We are suspicious of the Chinese government, the Religious Affairs Bureau and of the Catholic Patriotic Association. They are also suspicious of us. This, of course, is related to history. Such a situation existed even before the Chinese Communist came into power. In 1949, and especially during the Cold War era in the 1950s and early 1960s, we depicted Communism as a demon and ourselves as angels. But they felt that we were the liars and devils and they were the ones who served the people. This set the scene for confrontation. In fact, our most important reason for our coming to China was to "dialogue". When we were studying theology in the 1970s, we enjoyed discussing how Communists could dialogue with Christians. At the time in Italy, we also joined with leftist groups in activities concerning citizens and labor. We were not only given to action, but we also did theoretical research (research on what liberation theology meant) and we were called socialist Christians at that time. It is true that the Church in China has been very much restricted. Many people have been detained unreasonably. But we cannot forget that many Communists have also been jailed and oppressed. It has been the same for both. Therefore, the first thing we should do is historical research. We both have to look into our own history to see what can be improved, and do the research together with historians, theologians and sociologists. What can we do? I think first and foremost we must live our Gospel values, that is, try our best to implement the Beatitudes. Besides, read the letters of Pope John XXIII written in the 1950s and early 1960s. He mentions the relationship between Christians and Communists. Can we dialogue with each other? I believe we have done too little along these lines. Of course, China and the have many policies to consider, and it is difficult to start the dialogue. However, could not grassroots Christians come to a consensus and deeper mutual understanding so that neither they nor we are considered demons? Perhaps the Communists believe more in personal power than they do in Communism. Is Communism really atheistic? If we study Karl Marx's atheism, we find that atheism is not the basic thinking of Communism. Communism is meant to help the people. This is different from atheism. Does Communism have anything in common with us? The answer is Yes. The community in the Acts of the Apostles is a "communist" community. Jesus also said things very much in line with Communism. Why can't we come together and expend more efforts for the poor and the oppressed in society, and also for the brothers and sisters in China and Hong Kong who do not enjoy the right to be united as a family? To help make this a reality is putting

Appendices 81 our faith into practice. Faith is not only praying in the Church. We go to the Church to pray and to adore Jesus. But after we leave the Church, the homeless person under the footbridge is also Jesus. In the Mainland, I have gone every week with some young priests to serve in an orphanage and a school for the deaf mute. We met some people who, although they did not believe in Jesus, also did the same thing. I believe there must be very many people in China who are with us, especially those who really believe in Communism and the spirit of Lei Feng. The Christian spirit and the spirit of Jesus will continue to live among us. We have to be together with the peasants, the workers and all those who are abandoned by the society. I believe there is room for improvement along these lines. (Editor’s note: For additional information, please read "Father Mella: A Priest in a Dialogue of Faith".) Mr. Anthony Lam Sui-ki: There are many contradictions involved in China's law on freedom of religion. On the one hand, the newspapers almost everyday carry stories of China's forbidding the exercise of some religious activity; on the other hand, statistics tell us that the China Church is growing tremendously and young people are flooding into the seminaries. Everywhere, more and more churches are opening. Foreign priests can now say Sunday Mass. In a parish in Northeastern China, there are even seven foreign assistant parish priests. Such situations are not rare in China. To understand these contradictions, we must take a closer look at the entire social structure and examine the issue from a threefold dimension. The first affects everything in China, and it is the aspect of law and order. This aspect, in turn, must be examined from a twofold perspective: what is the law on religious freedom, and how do the rulers use it as a policy of control? China's laws on religious freedom are well written. Article 36 of the Constitution guarantees its citizens freedom of religious belief. However, what is written in the Constitution does not necessarily accord with the reality. The Chinese government stresses adaptation in its policies. It tries to use religion as a tool to rule society. This aspect has not changed. If we compare things today with those of 30 years after 1949, we see a big difference. After 1949, we firmly believed the Communist government intended to eradicate religion. They thought, no doubt, that this was a good thing. They saw the Catholic Church as evil and themselves as the agents of righteousness. They were convinced that the eradication of religion would signal a bright future for China. However, after 1979, along with a failed Communism, came a crisis of faith. People who had believed in Communism for some 30 years suddenly found themselves at a dead end, with nothing to believe in. The people who had belittled religion for some 30 years could not quickly embrace religion. Even high-ranking officials could not bring themselves to decide how to go about eradicating religion. First, they could not see what good it would do for the country to eradicate religion since they did not really feel that religions were wrong. Second, they simply did not have the courage to eradicate religion. During the , the whole country acted as a monolithic block. Superiors gave an order and the officials from top to bottom knew what to do. But if, after having followed the policy so closely, it suddenly changed, what were these people expected to do? As it turned out, subordinates found ways to deal with their superiors. When that happened, the government knew that there was no way for them to eradicate religion. However, they still needed to maintain control so they decided to unite different social organizations, including religious communities. In that way, religion became a tool they could use for their own purposes. This is what I observed was going on in the 1980s.

Appendices 82 Religious freedom is not the exclusive decision of the higher echelons of the social hierarchy; it is also a decision made by those in society's middle class. Society and government are different. A society is a community of individual persons in a regulatory association for mutual benefit and protection; it is a unit larger than a single individual. The government is the governing body over the individuals in the society. Two things have deeply affected religious freedom in China. The first is China's transformation from a monolithic to a pluralistic society. A monolithic society does not necessarily oppose religion, but it does not support communities that function outside the mainstream. The monolithic society supports those that function within the mainstream. It supports your religion only if your religion is within the mainstream. You would not easily find support for your religion outside the mainstream. The mainstream is very strong. In China, the mainstream is not Catholicism; it is atheism. Father Mella is right to say Communism and atheism are not necessarily related. The problem is there is little room to function as a sub-stream or as a different kind of community in China. But since 1979, China has undergone great changes in socio-politics. These changes were not to benefit religion, but when society became more pluralistic, religion enjoyed more space, and therefore more freedom. For instance, in , most of the underground bishops have a driver. This situation would have been unimaginable in the 1980s. But since China allows the public to apply for driving licenses, everyone can drive a taxi. Therefore, an increase in pluralism has given the public greater breathing space. Let me give another example. In the past religious women's congregations were not permitted to register a work with the government to function outside their convents, but now, they freely register. They do not register in the name of a religious congregation but as a specific work, e.g. a clinic. A clinic is a business activity open to the public. If the government did not allow individuals to become entrepreneurs, the nuns would have no way to operate their clinics for the public. The government is not doing this as a favour for the nuns but to resolve their lack of medical facilities especially in the rural villages and small townships. Once such activities are allowed, there is an increase in religious freedom. The second social dimension is the public's perception of religion. It is true that with the influence of Communist propaganda, society, for the past 30 years, has looked at religions with a jaundiced eye. Although people may not have shown open enmity towards religion, many did think of religious people as somewhat abnormal. But after 1979, especially after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, China began to open itself up to the outside world. People also began to realize that Communism was fast crumbling. They began to think: religions, especially the Catholic and Protestant Churches have suffered greatly, what wrong have they done? When they had taken a good look, they found they had done nothing wrong. Then after listening to the opinions of scholars and other communities regarding religions, their whole impression changed. The public began to have their own ideas about religion. Since the people now had a broader view of religion, they could look at it more objectively. This objectivity is very important for religious freedom. With objectivity people are not so inclined to dismiss religion outright. This is something a purely materialistic person would find difficult to understand. Apart from the importance of law and society, religious freedom is also affected by the person. First, there is the individual recognition, which comes about by making a judgment on the world. In other words, religious freedom is something personal. The practice of faith largely depends on the individual person. Outside factors do influence but in the end, it is the person who either believes or does not believe. Certain

Appendices 83 critical factors are: how much understanding does the person have of the society? On the one hand, anyone who lives outside of China and only reads the policies of the Chinese government can think that China has a policy of religious freedom. That person is easily misled. But if, on the other hand, a person sees only the rules and regulations prohibiting the exercise of freedom, for example, forbidding foreigners to say Mass, and the like, then that person gets the impression that there is no religious freedom whatsoever. That person does not have the whole picture either. There is a Chinese saying: "The subordinate always has a way to correspond to the superior's policy." That is, no matter what the government does, the people beneath always find a way. If as an individual, a person can judge the situation accurately, then nothing will go wrong. If the government tightens its policies, that individual withdraws a bit and everything is all right. I speak from real life experience. Anyone who knows what the government would do possesses a substantial amount of space. Another point is: does a person have the courage to risk and the will to challenge? A person with courage, for example, might think, "The government will not arrest me, or the maximum I might get is a three-year prison term." That person is then willing to take the risk of being arrested. Many bishops are like this, and they really have great freedom. Some "black bishops"—the name the government gives to bishops they do not recognize—have been arrested. Once they are arrested, they no longer have any need, or any place or any reason to hide. Some underground bishops even use their own stationery with their personal coat of arms to write their letters. Why can they do this? It's not that the government is doing them a favour by letting them do this. It is rather that the bishops are willing to take a chance that the government will not crack down on them at this particular moment. If the government decides to persecute them, those bishops are willing to accept the consequences in exchange for the possibility of greater freedom in action. In 2003, when we reviewed these three dimensions of religious freedom, what differences did we find? I agree with Father Criveller who said, "For 20 years, there has not been much change." The government and the laws have not changed. China does not dare to write a very formal and just religious law that does not favour the government or the civil communities. Its policies are still for exploiting religions. However, the civil society has changed a great deal. Chinese society is moving slowly towards a more completely open society. And no government can completely control an open society. I must add one point. The two previous speakers have said that social materialism could have an effect on religion, and that freedom of religion is a good thing in both a monolithic and a pluralistic society. But with pluralism come the challenges of materialism and secularism. These could reduce religion to nothing more than an accessory. This has to be carefully watched. The same is true for the personal dimension. People's understanding of the government has been weak because they got their knowledge of the government only from government documents. Now, they can get different information from the mass media. The space is daily increasing, as is the courage of people. Sometimes, the space seems quite large. But there is also the problem of ever-increasing individualism. This could also hurt the Church as it struggles to survive in the civil community. These factors, therefore, can be both good and bad for religious freedom. When we look back, we realize that we are not as optimistic about religious freedom as we may have thought. Our pessimism is not due to any changes in the religious policy; it has not changed. What we see is that even when social change is favourable towards religious freedom, some unfavourable element rears its head. We must work to strike a balance in all the elements, including the exercise of individuality. The most important point about these three dimensions is that it is not a matter of addition or multiplication. I mean you can't take a certain percentage of politics plus a certain percentage of the society plus some amount of the individual dimension and come up with a proper amount of religious freedom. Religious freedom is not mathematics. When any one of the components drops to zero, everything drops to zero. Let's take a simple example: the Hong Kong government has never forbidden blood donation. The whole society encourages blood donation, but the Chinese seldom donate blood because of fear. Fear reduces blood donations to zero. Based on this concept, when the dimensions of society and individualism intermingled continuously, the space for religious freedom is threatened. I am not opposed to a pluralistic

Appendices 84 society, neither am I opposed to the exercise of healthy individualism, but in China's situation, I think all of us Catholics have the duty and space to explore religious faith with our brothers and sisters in China in order to deepen our own faith. We can explore the faith dimension at a deeper level within the process of social pluralism, and then act against the negative influences brought about by secularism, materialism and individualism. Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun: All the faithful in Mainland China or in Hong Kong are very concerned about the Church in China. In the past, their concern was expressed through prayer. But after China's reform, they looked for opportunities for more contacts. At that time, in Hong Kong, there were different stances and viewpoints. This is understandable. Those who fled from the Mainland or congregations with brothers and sisters in the Mainland were of the opinion that there was no freedom in the China Church. But local priests and those who had not worked in China held an optimistic attitude of the China Church. Therefore, in the early period, everyone had a different opinion, that is, the so-called conservatives and liberals. However, as contact with the China Church increased, even the local priests could feel that the China Church was not so free. They could see that if officials or the authorities were present, the bishops did not dare to speak. The conservatives, for their part, also saw the progress in the society. They began to change their attitudes after the Church and seminaries were reopened. Thus, the Catholics in Hong Kong gradually arrived at a similar view of the China Church. Under these circumstances, Catholics in Hong Kong started working in an organized way. One of the important developments was Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-Chung's setting up of the Holy Spirit Study Centre. Some religious congregations and the Holy Spirit Study Centre staff started to meet regularly every month. The Hong Kong diocese even organized works in three areas. First, at that time, the China Church made many applications for economic subsidies. Many overseas agencies were willing to donate, but desired to know more about the situation in China. They felt that donating through the Holy Spirit Study Centre was the safest. Thus, many dioceses were given help. Second, a great contribution of the Hong Kong Church has been seminary teaching. This work started in 1989 at 's Sheshan Seminary. In 1993, this work was extended to Xian, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, Beijing, Shenyang, etc. Besides the clergy from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places also had their clergy teaching in China. But the majority were priests, nuns and other teachers from Hong Kong. This was a very good witness. The third area of work has been sending books. In the early period, the China Church had very few books; the Hong Kong Church sent many books to China. Later, as printing facilities in China improved gradually, we gave them copyrights to reprint. As China became more open, some Catholics in Hong Kong also mailed the "Kung Kao Po" (the Chinese diocesan weekly) to China for Catholics to read. Before the handover, the Hong Kong diocese had appointed two new bishops. From the newspapers it was clear that the reason for my appointment, and that of Auxiliary Bishop was that we both have rather special relationships with China. Bishop Tong has been working at the Holy Spirit Study Centre for years, and I taught in China for seven years. We have a great deal of understanding of China. In the press conference for the appointment, we both expressed clearly that our goal was to help the China Church and to exchange with them, regardless of whether it is the Underground or the Open Church. Though we have expressed it this way, our help to the Underground Church has been less than the help we have been able to give to the Open Church. We have more chances to help the Open Church. At that time, we made it clear that it is absolutely worthwhile for us to help the Open Church. Concerning what I have just said, the so-

Appendices 85 called conservatives have in the past considered the Open Church as not being loyal to the Pope. That is not right. The liberals, for their part, also questioned why the Underground Church is still so stubborn when China has made so much progress in religious freedom. While we think that the stance of the Underground Church is right and we should support them, we also know that 99 percent of the bishops in the Open Church are completely loyal to the Pope. It is just that they cannot directly contact the Pope for the time being. Hence, we are very much at ease helping the Open Church—it is helping our Church. Teaching in the seminary was a wonderful thing because I saw that this Church was actually the same Church as ours. We feel that the little things that we have done have already fulfilled the function of being the bridge Church: giving a happy feeling to the Mainland bishops, priests and lay Catholics, understanding that the Church outside China identifies with them, and that we have not abandoned them. Even though we have not always been allowed to contact them, they know we would contact them if and whenever we had a chance. This is already a great comfort to them. However, we feel that if the situation in the Mainland does not improve further, our contact with them will be very difficult because the government policy does not encourage contact by both sides. Thus, there are barriers in many respects. A better understanding with the Chinese government would help us establish relationships with the China Church. Therefore, after we were consecrated as bishops, we asked the Religious Affairs Bureau and the United Front Work Department to invite us for an official visit to Beijing before the handover, that is, in early 1997. They welcomed us. At our meeting, we expressed to the Chinese government that the exchange and communication between the Churches of the two sides would be beneficial. We sincerely said that we hoped the government would be more open to the Underground Church. After our official visit, both sides were optimistic. They seemed eager to listen. We boldly mentioned many things. We even said that normalization with the Holy See was natural. However, we later found out that although they wanted to hear what we had to say, and to know what we thought, many things were not as open as we had expected. But frankly speaking, it was still good for us to have the exchange. At that time, we really felt quite free in our teaching. Although they required taking a look at our textbook before class, and in Shanghai, the class had to be recorded, it did not matter because they never told us what we could say or not say. This was already great freedom. Just as Mr. Lam said just now, there was not much of a problem to say what we wanted if we dared, but of course, we were very careful of what we said and did. Although all have tried to work as best they could and the Holy Spirit provided various kinds of inspiration, we still hope to be able to work in a systematic and organized way. Thus, priests, nuns and experts at the Holy Spirit Study Centre have an informal meeting on the last Tuesday of each month to share information and research on some Mainland documents. China is vast and each place is different. It is beneficial to hear each other's sharing each month. Thus, although I am very busy, I try to attend these meetings. Besides, periodically the Holy Spirit Study Centre hosts a larger scale meeting inviting religious congregations in Hong Kong and other China-concerned agencies from abroad to come to Hong Kong for more extensive sharing and information gathering. On the one hand, we need to be organized and systematic in coordinating the different works. On the other hand, everyone needs to have love. In fact, the Holy Spirit of God is wondrous. Now there are a lot of people doing different works in the Mainland. Some people are teaching in the seminaries. Some priests and laypeople go to the Mainland to help the lepers, the mentally retarded and AIDS patients. Some even work in very difficult regions. All these people try to find ways to help the people on the Mainland, so we can say the relations between the Hong Kong Church and the China Church are close. These works, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God, have achieved very good results. These relations cannot be separated from religious freedom. On one hand, religious freedom in the Mainland gives us more chances to do our work. On the other hand, our contact with the Mainland helps us make more room for religious freedom. Thus, it is a good circular process. I have met up with some problems recently. The first problem occurred after the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia. At that time, I mentioned at a meeting that China did not have real

Appendices 86 religious freedom. This claim was very serious because the Constitution of China stipulates that citizens are guaranteed freedom of religious belief. But I said that China does not have complete religious freedom. The Chinese government, of course, was very unhappy. In addition, the Pope had intended to invite two Sichuan bishops to attend a meeting in Rome. One of them was in his 90s and the other one was in his 80s. Before the Chinese government made any response or gave permission, the Holy See made the announcement. Beijing was of course very angry and did not grant the permission. The Holy See was also very disappointed. Photo: Kung Kao Po During the meeting, the Synod left two empty chairs labelled with the two bishops' names to represent the suffering Church. This made Beijing even angrier and the relations between the two sides went from bad to worse. I was also too childish in promising the Pope to give each of the two Sichuan bishops a souvenir—a ring. The incident angered the Chinese government and it has not allowed me to go to Mainland China since. The second problem occurred in early 2000. The Beijing government appointed some bishops giving the occasion high profile. I was attending a meeting in Thailand. Rome asked me to request China not to do this in such high profile, so I made the call to them. This phone call could have brought a serious charge against me (Editor’s note: When the conference was held, various sectors in Hong Kong were debating hotly the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law). The Basic Law stipulates that religion in the two places should be based on the principles of non-subordination, non-interference and mutual respect. Was my phone call interference? It is hard to say. If they said yes, I would be in great trouble. However, the most troublesome incident was the canonizations on October 1, 2000. At that time, the Chinese government forced the Mainland bishops to issue a statement criticizing the Pope. This was very serious. I knew that not all the bishops agreed to do this. If people outside China thought all the Mainland bishops were willing to give in to the government in this way, it would be unfair. Therefore, I wrote an article. This ended up making it harder for both sides to enter into dialogue. Fortunately, many people, other than myself, can still continue to work, in China, though there have been more restrictions imposed on them recently. At the beginning of last year, we all had a rather optimistic attitude. At that time, Beijing held a large- scale meeting on religious policies, and there was an article by Pan Yue, which noted that religious policy should move along with time. We all thought there would be a new, more open policy. In fact, this did not happen. Some Mainland friends told me there were only two points in that meeting: one was to suppress evil cults and the other was to control religion. In other words, there was nothing new. I felt very sad because a wonderful chance had been wasted. The atmosphere in recent years has actually been favourable for China to undergo reforms in various areas but religion has stayed mired in the past. Recently, there was a report about ties building up between China and the Vatican. It was a misunderstanding. According to our information, there was no such thing and the most disappointing thing was a Document dated August 17, 1999. The Beijing government thought that China and the Vatican were going to build ties, but some people in the Vatican said something that made the Beijing government suspicious. It then issued a Document dated August 17. The document gave instructions on how to prepare for the China-Holy See ties. The content consisted entirely on what it has been doing now and even worse. For instance, it insisted on giving greater authority to the Catholic Patriotic Association. After all, the Chinese government was not sincere, and this is a pity. Since the Chinese government knows that many bishops are loyal to the Holy See, and the Holy Father has recognized most of them, they are very tense. The situation now is not too optimistic. However, many of our brothers and sisters are still engaged in mutual exchange. This is a good thing for both sides. Let's pray and wait until the time of the Lord comes so that both sides can exchange more freely and normally.

Appendices 87 Three Douments of the Catholic Church in China*

The System for the Joint Conference of Chairpersons of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China Translated by Peter Barry, MM

Article 1: This system has been formulated in order to make more complete and to deepen the Chinese Catholic independent enterprise. It is based on the "Constitution of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association" and on the "Constitution of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China." It has been formulated in accordance with the democratic principles of running the Church, namely collective leadership, democratic supervision, mutual consultation, and joint decision-making. It also takes into account Church tradition and the requirements of the times. Article 2: The component members of the Joint Chairpersons Conference are the chairperson, vice-chairpersons and secretary-general of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the chairman, vice-chairmen, standing committee members and secretary-general of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC). Based on its needs, the Joint Chairpersons Conference can invite honorary chairpersons, the responsible persons of every special committee, diocesan administrators, rectors and superiors of seminaries and convents, responsible persons from the patriotic associations and church affairs committees at the levels of the province, autonomous region or municipality, and priests, Sisters and lay representatives to attend the meeting. Article 3: The function of the Joint Chairpersons Conference is to discuss, and decide the most important affairs of the Chinese Catholic Church. The most important matters the Joint Chairpersons Conference must deliberate and decide upon include: 1. To study and formulate the annual work plans of the CCPA and of the BCCCC (below briefly called "One Association, One Conference"), and to deliberate the annual work report of the "One Association, One Conference". 2. To study and formulate the rules and regulations for the Chinese Catholic Church throughout the whole country, and to put forward ideas and proposals regarding these rules and regulations. These proposals must be deliberated and passed by the standing committee of the CCPA, by the BCCCC and by the Chinese Catholics Representatives Assembly. 3. To study and deliberate matters concerned with the election and of bishops in each diocese, and with the adjustment of dioceses. 4. To study and formulate methods and procedures for determining the qualifications of the clergy. 5. To organize discussions on important theological and liturgical questions. 6. To organize and arrange important sacramental activities. 7. To organize and arrange important activities concerned with foreign affairs, to unify the manner by which persons are selected and sent abroad for further study, and to give guidance regarding inviting foreign experts to teach in any major seminary throughout the country. 8. To be responsible for the preparatory work for holding the national representatives assembly, consult and determine the representatives, the quota of members and the distribution of work for the representatives assembly. 9. To study and decide important matters regarding the National Catholic Academy of Philosophy and Theology. These include the plan for enrolling students, and the arrangement of subordinate institutions and personnel. The Joint Conference should also give guidance to local Catholic seminaries, so that they follow the policy of the independent administration of the church, and implement accurate objectives in running the seminaries. 10. To study and decide upon the qualifications for entering the Sisterhood and on the method for supervising Sisters. To give guidance to each diocese which has established a Sisters congregation, so that the congregation follows the policy of the independent running of the Church, and that it can develop self-government. 11. To study and determine the internal structures of the "One Association, One Conference", and the setting up of special committees. They should also assign the responsible person and other personnel to each special committee.

G=qÜÉ=íÜêÉÉ=ÇçÅìãÉåíë=ÅçãÉ=Äó=íÜÉ=ÅçìêíÉëó=çÑ=íÜÉ=eçäó=péáêáí=píìÇó=`ÉåíêÉ=áå=eçåÖ=hçåÖK

Appendices 88 12. To study and decide on each major construction project. 13. To study and decide upon major financial outlays. 14. In the name of the "One Association, One Conference" to report the situation of the church to the concerned departments of the government, and to put forward opinions and suggestions to them. 15. Promote the participation of Catholic Church personnel in important national works of social service. 16. To study and decide any other important matters, which are necessary for the Joint Chairpersons Conference to study and decide. Article 4: A meeting of the Joint Chairpersons Conference should be held once every half year. If the chairpersons and over half of the members agree that a Joint Chairpersons Conference is needed, then it can be held. Article 5: The secretaries-general of the Patriotic Association and of the Bishops Conference are responsible for the preparations and other concerned matters for the Joint Chairpersons Conference. They will suggest to the Chairpersons dates for the Conference and items for the agenda. They are also responsible for drafting documents for the Conference. Article 6: The chairperson of the CCPA and the chairman of the BCCCC are in charge of running the Joint Chairpersons Conference. If for some reason the chairpersons are not able to attend, they can appoint a vice-chairperson to be in charge. Article 7: The matters discussed and passed by the Joint Chairpersons Conference must be reported for the record to the concerned departments of religious affairs of the State Council. Article 8: The patriotic associations, church affairs committees and dioceses at the provincial, autonomous region and municipal levels have the duty to obey and to carry out the matters deliberated and passed by the Joint Chairpersons Conference. Article 9: Every patriotic association and church affairs committee (diocese) at the provincial, autonomous region and municipal levels, based on this system, may in accordance with local practical circumstances, set up a corresponding joint chairpersons conference system. Article 10: This system takes effect after deliberation and passage by the Joint Chairpersons Conference of the standing committees of the CCPA and of the BCCCC.

Appendices 89 Work Regulations for the Catholic Patriotic Association Translated by Peter Barry, MM

Chapter One: General Principles Article 1: Based on the "Constitution of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association", these regulations have been drafted in order to completely bring into play the functions of the Patriotic Association on the national and local levels, and to promote the standardization and systematization of the Catholic Patriotic Association. Article 2: The purpose of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is: to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, to raise high the flag of love of country and love of the church, to unite all the clergy and Catholics to uphold the dignity of the law, to support the interests of the people, to support unity among all ethnic groups, to support the unification of the country, to unswervingly implement the principle of the independent administration of the church, to jointly manage church affairs in conjunction with church affairs organizations, to carry out a democratic running of the church, and to conscientiously promote the adaptation of the Catholic Church to socialist society. Article 3: The Patriotic Association is a mass organization for loving the country and loving the church. The clergy and laity form it together. It should be formed with a broad representational base, and according to reasonable proportions. Chapter Two: Organizational Functions Article 4: The committee members and the standing committee members of the Catholic Patriotic Association at both the national and local level obtain their positions through election by the equivalent level Catholic Representatives Assembly, and they are responsible to them. Article 5: The main work responsibilities of Catholic Patriotic Association members are: 1. To implement the decisions of the representatives assembly. 2. To report to the representatives assembly on conditions of work and finances. 3. To discuss and pass concerned decisions. 4. To study and decide upon other important matters of concern. Article 6: The most important work responsibilities of the standing committee of the Catholic Patriotic Association are: 1. To decide to hold, and to chair, a meeting of all the members, and to deliberate and to submit the meeting's documents to all the members. 2. To deliberate the work report of each work committee. 3. To deliberate and pass the concerned regulations and systems. 4. To deliberate and pass other important matters of concern. Article 7: The meeting of the chairpersons of the Catholic Patriotic Association is made up of the chairperson, vice-chairpersons and the secretary-general. The chairperson is in charge of the work of the standing committee. The vice-chairpersons and the secretary-general assist the chairperson in his work. The meeting's important works and functions are: 1. When the meeting of the standing committee is not in session, to discuss and arrange the important duties and works of standing committee members. 2. To decide the date and the agenda of standing committee meetings, and to deliberate and submit the documents for the standing committee meetings. 3. To study and determine the annual plan for each work committee and each work organization. 4. In conjunction with the same level church affairs organization, to discuss and decide important Church matters. Article 8: The chairperson, vice-chairpersons and the general-secretary of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) will with the chairman, vice-chairmen, standing committee members and secretary-general of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) form the Joint Chairpersons Conference of the two organizations. They are to discuss and decide important matters concerning the Chinese Catholic Church. Chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and secretaries-general of the Catholic Patriotic Associations at the level of the province, autonomous region, or municipality can, together with the chairpersons, vice-chairpersons and secretaries general of the church affairs committees in the same province, autonomous region, or municipality, form joint chairpersons meetings to discuss and decide important Catholic Church matters in their local areas.

Appendices 90 The Joint Chairpersons Conference of the CCPA and the BCCCC determines the work and function of the local joint chairpersons meetings, as well as the agenda and method of meeting. Article 9: The secretary-general of the Catholic Patriotic Association helps the chairperson and the vice- chairpersons to carry out the daily work of the patriotic association. His main duties are as follows: 1. To be responsible for the meetings of the members and of the standing committee members, for matters concerned with the preparatory work for chairpersons meetings, to propose dates and suggestions for the agenda of these meetings to the chairperson, and to be in charge of drafting documents for the meetings. 2. To organize and to implement the resolutions and decisions of the meetings of the members, of the standing committee members, or of the chairpersons. 3. To be responsible for organizing and carrying out the daily work responsibilities of the patriotic association. 4. To undertake any other tasks passed on by the chairperson or the vice-chairpersons. Chapter Three: Work Responsibilities Article 10: The Catholic Patriotic Association at every level should raise high the flag of patriotism, unite the mass of clergy and Catholics to obey the national constitution, and all laws, regulations and policies, and to use all kinds of methods to strengthen propagation and education in patriotism, socialism, in the principle of administering the church independently and in knowledge of the religious policy and relevant laws and regulations. Article 11: Make use of the printed word and publications of all kinds to strengthen guidance and propaganda in the principles of the independent and democratic administration of the church, and to maintain an accurate direction in the media. Article 12: Encourage and guide the clergy and Catholics to love their work and to respect their profession. In each place they should work for the establishment of the two civilizations of socialism, and should earnestly strive to be light and salt, witnessing to the Lord. Article 13: Mobilize the clergy and Catholics to lovingly offer themselves to undertake works of social welfare, to positively help the poor and handicapped, to take pity on widows and orphans, to relieve disasters, to sponsor education and other works of social service, in order to positively adapt themselves to socialist society. Article 14: Amply bring into play the bridge and link functions of the Patriotic Association, to assist the government to implement the policy of religious freedom and to protect the legal rights of the church. Article 15: Establish a system to deal with incoming letters and visits, and conscientiously analyze the problems raised. They should also make investigations at the grassroots level, and positively report, and put forward suggestions about social and church matters, to higher officials and to concerned departments. Article 16: Positively develop social service initiatives beneficial to society, and assist the church to undertake works of self-support. Article 17: Strengthen self-development, establish a completely standardized system, and positively promote the democratic running of the church. Article 18: In accordance with the principle of democratically running the church, together with the church affairs committees, mutually consult, collectively lead and commonly decide important church matters. The most important matters are: 1. Together with the church affairs organizations, jointly carry out well the work of electing and ordaining bishops and adjusting dioceses. 2. Together with the church affairs organizations, jointly run well the seminaries and convents. 3. Assist the church affairs organizations to perform well the political and professional training of the clergy, as well as their spiritual formation. Also, be concerned about nourishing vocations. 4. Assist the church affairs organizations to carry out any other important matters. Chapter Four: Requirements of Patriotic Association Workers Article 19: Catholic Patriotic Association Workers must support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, fervently love the socialist motherland, and conscientiously uphold the nation's sovereignty and the Chinese church's sovereignty. They must increase political study and conscientiously study every policy, law and regulation. Article 20: Firmly uphold the policy of the independent administration of the church and the principle of self- election and self-consecration of bishops. Article 21: Have a firm faith and a fervent love for the Lord, have a close relationship with the clergy and

Appendices 91 Catholics, conscientiously raise their cultural standards and knowledge of theology, perform their Christian duties to the best of their ability, and give a good example of a person, who loves one's country and one's church. Article 22: Be faithful to one's duties, honest and upright, incorruptible, impartially perform one's tasks, have strict requirements for oneself, firmly reject the use of power for one's own benefit, and conscientiously uphold the legal rights of the church. Article 23: Be subject to criticism and self-criticism, humbly accept supervision, respect the clergy, strengthen the internal unity of the church, and earnestly bring into play all positive factors. Chapter Five: Supervision of Finances Article 24: The Catholic Patriotic Association must operate in accordance with the principles of thriftiness and of keeping expenditures within the limits of one's income. Waste and extravagance are strictly forbidden. Article 25: In accordance with the nation's laws and regulations regarding finances, patriotic associations must establish a system of strict supervision over finances. Ensure that accounting materials are legal, true, accurate and complete. Provide accounting personnel and a cashier with professional qualifications. But one person cannot fill both positions. Article 26: Accept the professional responsible department's, or the Accounting Department's, inspection and audit, and accept supervision by the masses. Chapter Six: Foreign Relations Article 27: Based on the principles of equality, friendship and mutual respect, the Catholic Patriotic Association at all levels should positively develop foreign relations. In accordance with the principles of "mutual non-subordination, mutual non-interference and mutual respect", patriotic associations should develop friendly relations with the Catholic churches of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Article 28: In foreign relations they should strictly adhere to "The Regulations Concerning the Supervision of the Religious Activities of Foreigners within the Boundaries of the People's Republic of China" (State Council Decree No. 144), and the concerned rules and regulations implemented from it. Article 29: While being involved in foreign relations, they must positively propagate our nation's reform and open door policy, as well as our policy of religious freedom. They must explain our policies of the independent running of the church and the self-election and self-consecration of bishops, dissolve misunderstandings, expand our influence and widen our circle of friends. Article 30: They must strictly observe foreign affairs discipline, and do nothing to harm the welfare of the nation or of the Chinese church. They must set up foreign affairs organizations and a system to receive foreigners, and strictly carry out activities in accordance with foreign reception plans. Article 31: While being involved in foreign relations activities, they may receive friendly donations, to which no political conditions are attached, and which should be reported in accordance with regulations. But it is forbidden to use any kind of method, even in a disguised way, to seek financial help from foreign churches or individuals. Article 32: While being involved in foreign relations, they must maintain the principle of running the church independently, and firmly resist the infiltration activities of foreign inimical forces. Chapter Seven: Appendices Article 33: If in the province, autonomous region or municipality, there is only one diocese, then the provincial patriotic association, church affairs committee and diocese can form together a joint leaders meeting. Article 34: Every province, autonomous region and municipality, or patriotic association below the provincial level, can, in accordance with these regulations, and in conjunction with the actual local situation, formulate a corresponding set of regulations. Article 35: These regulations take effect after being deliberated and passed by the Joint Chairpersons Conference of the standing committee of the CCPA and of the BCCCC.

Appendices 92 A Management System for Catholic Dioceses in China Translated by Peter Barry, MM

This "Management System for Catholic Dioceses in China" is especially formulated for the purpose of spreading the Gospel, to put into practice Christ's redemptive love and to adapt to the needs of the times and the requirements of social development. It will help Christ's Gospel to better sink roots among the Chinese people and their culture. In this new century, the Chinese Catholic Church must really strengthen its structure. Following the passage from Scripture of "becoming all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22), based on our country's national feelings, and in conjunction with the Church's own tradition and in the spirit of the concerned constitutions, the Catholic Church must pursue and maintain a policy of the independent running of the church in the areas of politics, economics and church affairs. The system will promote the standardization of management of dioceses, and establish a firm foundation for evangelization. It will guarantee that the Chinese Catholic Church will follow the right road towards a healthy development, and help the Catholic faithful to share the all-pervading graces of the Gospel. Chapter One: The Diocese Article 1: The diocese is a group of Catholics, who are entrusted to the pastoral care of a bishop and his priests. Through the Gospel and the Holy Eucharist, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, they form a local church. Therefore, the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Christian Church will really be present and active in the local church. Article 2: The diocese draws definite local boundaries, and includes all the baptized Catholics residing within these boundaries. Article 3: Each diocese should be divided into a certain number of different parishes. If pastoral work requires it, several neighboring parishes can form a deanery. Article 4: To establish a new diocese, or to re-draw the boundaries of a diocese, this must be carried out in accordance with the order and method determined by the Bishops' Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church (BCCCC). The matter should be reported to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and to the Bishops' Conference of the Chinese Catholic Church (abbreviated below to "One association, One conference"), and it should be discussed at the Joint Chairpersons Conference. Article 5: The diocese should be registered with the Civil Affairs Administration department at the provincial, autonomous region or municipal level. Chapter Two: The Coadjutor and Auxiliary Bishops Article 6: The bishop has been determined by God to be a successor to the apostles. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he is established as a pastor in the Church, a teacher of the doctrine, a priest of the holy liturgy and a supervising servant. A bishop who is put in charge of a diocese is called an ordinary. He may also be a . Article 7: The election, ordination and taking of office of a bishop is to be carried out according to the order and method prescribed in "The Regulations for the Election and Ordination of Bishops of the BCCCC". Once the bishop has been ordained, he receives at the same time the offices of sanctifier, teacher and governor. Article 8: When the bishop is appointed to his diocese, he enjoys the normal, fundamental and direct authority he needs to carry out his pastoral duties. Article 9: A diocesan bishop is the legal representative of the diocese. He should be registered as such with the local government. Article 10: The bishop's pastoral duties are: 1. When the diocesan bishop takes up his pastoral duties, he should show concern for all the baptized Catholics entrusted to his care. With an apostolic spirit, he should also care for all those who, because of living conditions, do not receive normal pastoral care, or who are separated from religious life. 2. In a catholic spirit, and with compassion and love, he should also show concern for all brothers and sisters who are not in complete union with the Catholic Church. 3. Considering all the unbaptized as people entrusted to him by the Lord, he should lavish Christ's love upon them, and be a witness for Christ before the masses.

Appendices 93 4. Respecting his responsibility towards the Holy Word, and in order to relay the whole of Christian doctrine to the masses, he should explain the truths of the faith to the Catholics, telling them what they must believe and what they must do. He should do this during the homily time at Mass, and on other occasions when he must teach the doctrine. 5. He should firmly uphold a church which is one, holy, catholic and passed on by the apostles, who had Peter as their leader, and the integrity and completeness of the doctrines to be believed. However, regarding research and exploration into the truth, he should allow a fair amount of freedom. 6. In accordance with Church teaching, he should instruct people that they should take seriously the socialist system, the nation's laws, and the education of their children. 7. He should be a model of virtue in love, humility and simplicity of life. In this way he will promote virtue among the Catholics, and help them to develop in accordance with each one's vocation. At the same time, since the bishop is the most important dispenser of the mysteries of God, he should conscientiously help his Catholics to continually grow in grace through the reception of the sacraments. Article 11: The responsibilities of the bishop towards his priests: 1. The bishop should show special concern for his priests. As his helpers and advisors, the bishop should listen to their opinions and suggestions. He should protect their authority and reputation. He should be concerned about the community life of the priests, their spiritual exercises and their spiritual and material livelihood. He should arrange a retreat for them each year, so that they may live a holy life and fulfill their duties in a holy manner. He should provide for the reasonable living expenses of his priests, and insurance, in accordance with the law. 2. With a loving heart, he should take care of priests who face certain dangers in life, or who have certain defects of character. 3. He must earnestly nourish all kinds of holy and self-sacrificing vocations, especially vocations to the priesthood. Article 12: After the bishop takes office, every Sunday and holy day of obligation he should say Mass (pro populo) for the Catholics entrusted to his care. If for some reason he cannot at times fulfill the above-mentioned requirement, he should as soon as possible offer the complete number of Masses, which are lacking. Article 13: The bishop has the responsibility of residing in his diocese. Unless there is an important and urgent reason, he should not leave his diocese during Holy Week, or on Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Article 14: Concerning episcopal visitations of the diocese: 1. The bishop has the responsibility to carry out annual visitations of the whole, or of a part, of the diocese. A complete visitation of the diocese should be made at least once every five years. The bishop can assign his coadjutor, auxiliary or an episcopal representative to carry out the diocesan visitation. 2. All diocesan personnel and institutions, all sacred properties and lands, are subject to routine inspection by the bishop. 3. The bishop should make careful plans to complete the pastoral visitation of his diocese. Article 15: When the episcopal see falls vacant: 1. When the bishop is no longer present, and if a coadjutor bishop has been legally appointed, then he immediately assumes the office of ordinary of the diocese. 2. If there is no bishop in a diocese, after soliciting the agreement of the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) church affairs committee and the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) patriotic association (hereafter called the "two committees"), and obtaining the approval of the Bishops' Conference, a bishop from a neighboring diocese in the same province (autonomous region or municipality) can be invited to oversee the diocese concurrently. The bishop takes over all the episcopal responsibilities, and enjoys all the episcopal powers, in the new diocese. However, generally speaking, he does not concurrently manage the diocese's finances. On Sundays and on holydays of obligation, he should offer one Mass for the Christians entrusted to his care. 3. If because of age, serious illness or any other reason, the bishop is not capable of carrying out his duties, the bishop himself, or at the exhortation of the responsible persons in the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees", can submit his resignation to the Bishops' Conference. However, the home diocese is responsible for supporting the bishop.

Appendices 94 4. If a bishop, without ample reason, leaves his diocese for a period of six months or more, or seriously neglects his duties, the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees" or an older bishop from that area should report the matter to the Bishops' Conference. Article 16: If pastoral needs require it, and based on the ordinary's request, a coadjutor bishop or an auxiliary bishop may be appointed. The election, consecration and the taking of office of the coadjutor or auxiliary bishop is to be carried out in accordance with the order and method stated in the "Regulations of the BCCCC Regarding the Election and the Consecration of Bishops". The coadjutor bishop has the right of succession, while the auxiliary bishop does not have this right. For the diocese's greater benefit, the ordinary of the diocese should discuss important matters together with the coadjutor bishop, the auxiliary bishop and the patriotic association. When the ordinary is considering any pastoral matters, he should first ask the advice of the coadjutor bishop and the auxiliary bishop. Article 17: The coadjutor bishop and the auxiliary bishop should share the work of the ordinary of the diocese. In carrying out their duties, they should perform them in a spirit of cooperation with the ordinary. Whenever the ordinary asks the coadjutor or auxiliary bishop to perform a ceremony, which a bishop should perform, if there is no conflict, then the bishops should do it. Article 18: The ordinary, coadjutor and auxiliary bishops should respect all levels of the patriotic association. According to the principle of democratically running the church, they should, together with the responsible persons of the patriotic association, inplement the principles of collective leadership, democratic supervision, mutual consultation and common decision-making. They should positively guide the Catholics to carry out the mission "given them by the Lord, of doing work". They should urge the Catholics, in accordance with each one's strengths and the needs of the times, to participate in the redemptive work of the Church. (Constitution on the Church, #33). Article 19: The ordinary, coadjutor and auxiliary bishops should show sufficient love and concern for the seminarians of their diocese. They should cooperate with the seminary in carrying out formation and education of the seminarians. Before the seminarians receive the diaconate, the bishop should consult the Catholics about them, and take into consideration their opinions. To receive the diaconate, the candidates should have reached the canonical age, namely 24 full years. For the priesthood, the candidates should be a full 25 years of age. For pastoral reasons, the bishop may dispense from the age requirements, but only by one year. Chapter Three: The Vicar General or Bishop's Representative Article 20: For pastoral reasons, the bishop of a diocese may appoint a vicar general or a bishop's representative. Article 21: In principle, a diocese should have only one vicar general or bishop's representative. However, if a diocese is large or the Catholics are many, then the diocese is not limited to one. Article 22: The ordinary should solicit the opinion of the local "two committees", carry out a rigorous examination of the candidate, and then appoint him as vicar general or bishop's representative. The bishop can also excuse him from office. If there is no coadjutor or auxiliary bishop in the diocese, then it is good to appoint a priest, at least 30 years of age and rich in pastoral experience and knowledge, to this position. When the ordinary appoints a vicar general or bishop's representative, it is necessary to report this to the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees" and to the BCCCC. The ordinary should not appoint to the post of vicar general or bishop's representative a priest who is within the fourth degree of kinship, either directly or indirectly, to him. Article 23: The powers of office of the vicar general or bishop's representative end when his term of office expires, or he resigns. When the diocesan see is vacant, or the ordinary's duties are suspended, the authority of the vicar general or the bishop's representative ends at the same time. However, if he possesses episcopal powers, then he is not subject to this limitation. Chapter Four: The Diocesan Administrator Article 24: When a diocesan see is vacant, but conditions in the diocese are not ripe to elect a bishop, with the agreement of the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees", a diocesan administrator can be elected. Article 25: Candidates for diocesan administrator should be priests ordained at least five years, having superior learning and a reputation for spirituality.

Appendices 95 Article 26: The diocesan administrator is elected by the priests, Sisters and Catholic representatives of the diocese. If a candidate has received more than half the votes cast, then he is considered elected. The results should receive the approval of the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees", and should be recorded with the concerned department of the local government and with the BCCCC. Article 27: When the diocesan administrator assumes office, he should make an act of faith before all the people. After taking office, he enjoys the same authority to supervise the diocese as a diocesan ordinary has. However, he cannot directly become the manager of diocesan financial affairs. Article 28: The diocesan administrator has the duty to offer Mass for the Catholics entrusted to his care on every Sunday and holyday of obligation. Article 29: The diocesan administrator's office is terminated if he resigns, if he is removed from office by the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees", or if a new bishop takes office. Chapter Five: The Diocesan Management Committee Article 30: The diocesan management committee is a supervisory body, which helps the bishop to manage the whole diocese. Its most important responsibilities are to assist the bishop to carry out well the spiritual formation of the clergy and Sisters, and the daily supervision of them. Article 31: The clergy and Catholic representatives of a diocese elect the members of that diocese's diocesan management committee. It is made up of the ordinary, coadjutor and auxiliary bishops, vicar general (if there is no bishop, then the diocesan administrator), the secretary-general of the local patriotic association, and priests, Sisters and Catholics. The bishop is the chairperson (director). A diocesan management committee, which covers the whole territory, should draw participants from the democratic management committees (groups) and patriotic associations (groups) of each parish. Article 32: The diocesan ordinary should chair the meetings of the diocesan management committee, or he can appoint a vice-director or bishop's representative to fill this office for him at the meeting. Article 33: If the episcopal see is vacant, then the diocesan administrator takes over the office of chairperson (director) of the diocesan management committee. Article 34: The ordinary of the diocese, in accordance with his authority, publicly announces the decisions or statements of the diocesan management committee. Article 35: Each term of office of the members of the diocesan management committee is three to five years, and the members can be elected for a successive term. Article 36: Based on need, the diocesan management committee can set up a number of special committees or small work groups, e.g., a finance committee (small group), a priests council and a pastoral council (small group). Article 37: The formation and function of the finance committee is as follows: 1. The bishop or his representative is the chairperson of the finance committee. The committee is made up of 1- 3 persons appointed by the bishop and 1-3 representatives of the patriotic association. The members of the finance committee should be priests or Catholics of high moral character, possessing a certain professional knowledge and a familiarity with the concerned laws. A relative within the fourth degree of kinship with the bishop, either in a direct or indirect line, may not be a member of the finance committee. 2. The finance committee should make a record of all the property in the diocese. This includes moveable and immovable property, as well as in-kind materials and other goods. They should also evaluate the registered properties. Three copies of the registered properties should be made. One copy should be kept in the files of the finance committee itself, one copy should be kept in the files of the diocesan curia, and one copy filed with the local government's bureau of religious affairs. If there is some change in the registered properties, a clear indication of this must be made in the appropriate registers. 3. The finance committee should make a budget of the diocese's income and expenses for the coming year. They should make a unified plan, taking all factors into consideration, and in general control the situation of expenses in diocesan finances, so that self-support can be achieved, and a balance between income and expenses can be arrived at. They should also examine the accounts of income and expenses for the previous year.

Appendices 96 4. In accordance with the constitution and letters of the bishops conference regarding contributions, the finance committee should urge each church or parish to inform the diocese, for reporting to the bishops conference, any contribution for a definite purpose or work in any parish or diocese, to the Chinese Church as a whole, or to the universal church. 5. Regarding diocesan finances, the finance committee acts as advisor to the bishop. When the bishop is in the process of making a decision concerning diocesan finances, he should consult the financial committee. If it concerns a large outlay of funds, or a real estate deal, then it is necessary to have the approval of the diocesan management committee. 6. All the members of the finance committee should conscientiously carry out their duties, and not allow the properties entrusted to their care to be lost or destroyed in any way. In order to accomplish this aim, they may take out insurance if necessary. 7. The term of office of the finance committee is the same as that of the diocesan management committee. 8. A strict, standardized system for the supervision of finances must be set up. Accounting personnel and a cashier with professional qualifications should be provided, and examinations by the auditing departments must be accepted. Article 38: The origin and function of the priests' council 1. The priests' council helps the bishop to govern the diocese. It is a consultative body to the bishop, and advisory in nature. 2. The priests' council is made up of 50% elected members, others are appointed by the bishop or are ex officio members. 3. The constitution of the priests' council must be passed and approved by the Bishops' Conference. 4. In any important matters, the bishop should solicit the opinions of the priests' council. Article 39: The function of the pastoral council (small group) 1. Based on pastoral needs, each diocese can establish a pastoral council (small group), which, under the bishop's authority, can research, explore and suggest feasible methods for carrying out pastoral work in the diocese. 2. The members of the pastoral council (small group) should include clergy, Sisters and ordinary Catholics. Only persons of strong faith, of good moral life and with definite ability can become members of the pastoral council. 3. The members of the pastoral council (small group) should be representative of the whole diocese. Therefore, in choosing them, consideration should be given to each different section of the diocese, to the different social backgrounds and professions, and to their participation in apostolic work, either individually or together with others. 4. The term of office of pastoral council (small group) members is the same as that of members of the diocesan management committee. 5. The pastoral council (small group) should meet at least once a year, to study the pastoral work of the diocese. It should decide upon a plan, and make arrangements for carrying it out. Article 40: If a member of the clergy commits a grave fault, or seriously neglects his duties, the ordinary (diocesan administrator), after seeking the opinions of the diocesan management committee, should make a decision about how to deal with it. He should then report the case to the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) Catholic "two committees" for the record. To re-instate the cleric, the same process must be gone through. Article 41: If a member of the clergy voluntarily leaves his office, the ordinary (diocesan administrator) can deal with it based on the opinions of the diocesan management committee. He then reports the matter to the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) Catholic "two committees". The "One Association, One Conference" will in turn report the matter to the Catholic "two committees" of each province (autonomous region and municipality). Chapter Six: The Bishop's Curia Article 42: The bishop's curia is made up of definite offices and personnel. It helps the bishop to deal with church affairs, especially in the areas of guidance in pastoral work, of diocesan administration, and in the exercise of judicial organs. Article 43: The diocesan ordinary has the authority to appoint persons to work in the bishop's curia.

Appendices 97 Article 44: If the bishop considers it beneficial, so that he can suitably carry out pastoral work, he may set up a bishop's advisory council. It is made up of the vicar general and the bishop's representatives. Article 45: The bishop's curia can have a certain number of secretaries. Their most important duties are to write and to organize the documents of the bishop's curia, and to help handle the bishop's daily affairs. Article 46: The secretaries in the bishop's curia should have outstanding reputations and good moral characters. If there are cases involving the reputation of priests, the secretary should be a priest. Article 47: The secretaries should faithfully record all matters dealt with. They should record clearly addresses, and the year, month and day of each matter. They should also sign their names on the record. Article 48: With the bishop's permission, the secretaries should give to each person, who legitimately applies for them, the documents they request. Article 49: The diocese should set up a system for supervising archives, with someone appointed by the bishop to be in charge. The bishop himself should keep all documents and records concerned with spiritual matters. Chapter Seven: The Dean, the Pastor and Assistant Pastors Article 50: The Dean: The dean refers to the head priest in a deanery. After receiving the recommendation of the diocesan management committee and soliciting the opinions of the priests of the deanery, the ordinary may appoint one priest to be the dean. He can also remove him from office. Article 51: The dean has the following powers and duties: 1. To promote and coordinate the pastoral activities of the deanery. 2. To guide the clergy of the deanery to conform to their state in life and to properly fulfill their priestly duties. 3. To think of ways to create conditions for the priests of the deanery to supplement and increase their spiritual and theological knowledge. He should also be concerned about the spiritual and material life of the priests. He should be especially concerned about priests who are in difficult situations, or who are weighed down by problems. Article 52: The assignment and mission of the parish priest (pastor) 1. The parish priest is the basic pastoral person assigned to supervise the parish. He carries out pastoral work in the community assigned to him. He is called to share in the work of Christ. As determined by law, he is to perform the duties of teaching, sanctifying and governing in that community. 2. The parish priest must have received Holy Orders in order for his assignment to take effect. 3. The parish priest must be a person of great learning and of upright moral character. He must be zealous for pastoral work and possess other virtues. 4. The ordinary can assign a priest as pastor of a parish, transfer him, or remove him altogether, based on the recommendation of the diocesan management committee. The appointment, transfer or removal of a parish priest should be reported to the concerned departments of the government. 5. The appointment of the parish priest may take place after an examination has been held to determine whether the priest is qualified for the job. 6. The parish priest's assignment should ordinarily be for a period of three to five years, which can be renewed. 7. When a parish falls vacant, the bishop should set aside all personal feelings, and after considering all factors, he should temporarily assign a priest whom he considers qualified to take the place of the parish priest. In order to observe whether he is qualified and has the requirements to be parish priest, the bishop should seek the advice and opinions of the local patriotic association, and concerned priests and faithful. The change should also be registered with the local government. 8. If there is no bishop, or the bishop is impeded from performing his duties, then the diocesan administrator can assign the parish priest to a parish. 9. The parish priest can only take charge of one parish. However, due to a shortage of priests, or for other reasons, several neighboring parishes may be assigned to the care of one parish priest. 10. A parish may have only one parish priest. 11. The parish priest can exercise his pastoral authority as soon as he assumes office. Article 53: The pastoral duties of the parish priest 1. He should do a thorough job of announcing the Holy Word of God to the people in the parish. He should be especially concerned about spreading the Word to lukewarm Catholics and people who have no faith. Therefore he should conscientiously explain the truths of the faith to the laity in sermons and doctrine classes on

Appendices 98 Sundays and on holydays of obligation. He should also promote evangelization and works of social justice. He should be especially concerned about encouraging Catholic parents to educate their children in the Catholic faith. In accordance with the principle of the democratic administration of the church, he should cooperate with the laity, and carry out his pastoral duties to the best of his ability. 2. He should think of ways to make the Blessed Sacrament the center of the parish community. He should encourage the Catholics to fervently receive the sacraments so that they might be nourished, especially the sacraments of Holy Communion and Penance. He should guide the Catholics to pray at home, and to positively and meaningfully participate in the sacred liturgy. Under the authority of the bishop, the parish priest should arrange and supervise the liturgies in his parish, to prevent any deviation. 3. He should earnestly get to know the Catholics entrusted to his care. He should visit their homes and share in their concerns. He should bestow the comfort of the Lord in the midst of their troubles and sorrows. If anyone has any defects, he should carefully correct them. He should love the sick, especially those who are near death. He should fortify them with the sacraments, and encourage them to place their souls in the hands of God. He should be especially concerned about Catholics who are poor, suffering, lonely, or who have fallen into special difficulty. He should encourage husbands and wives, and children and parents, to conscientiously carry out their duties in life and to progress in Christian spirituality within the family. 4. The following are some concrete duties of the parish priest: (1) Perform baptisms. (2) Give Confirmation in place of the bishop to persons in danger of death. (3) Administer the sacraments of viaticum and anointing to sick persons. (4) Witness marriages and bless the new couples. (5) Conduct funerals. (6) Bless holy water at Easter. (7) Celebrate a more solemn Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation. (8) Set up parish registry books, e.g., registers of baptisms, marriages and deaths, and any other registry books determined by the Bishops' Conference or the diocese. (9) After the parish priest takes office, he must offer the pro populo Mass for the Catholics entrusted to his care every Sunday and holyday of obligation. If he is prevented from doing this, another priest can offer the Mass on that day, or the parish priest himself can offer the Mass on another day. (10) If the parish priest oversees several parishes, he need say only one Mass for the Catholics in his care, as stipulated in (9). If the obligations stipulated in (9) and (10) have not been fulfilled, the missing number of Masses must be made up as soon as possible. Article 54: The absence of the parish priest and the substitute pastor 1. A parish priest's office can be terminated, if the bishop legally removes or transfers him. It can also be terminated if, for a proper reason, the parish priest offers his resignation. However, the resignation must be accepted by the bishop for it to take effect. 2. If the parish priest is absent, is incapacitated or in poor health, or for some reason cannot carry out his pastoral duties, the ordinary should send a priest to substitute for him as soon as possible. 3. The substitute pastor has the same authority and duties as the parish priest. However, the bishop is free to determine otherwise. 4. The substitute pastor should do nothing to harm the authority of the parish priest, nor may he cause any loss to church property. 5. When the assignment of the substitute pastor is over, he should make a report to the parish priest. 6. When the parish priest is absent or is incapacitated, but before the substitute pastor is assigned, the assistant parish priest can temporarily take up the office of substitute pastor. If there are several assistants, then the most qualified should be the one to take over the duties of the parish priest. Article 55: The living and travels of the parish priest 1. The parish priest should live in the parish house at the church, or at a place arranged by the bishop. In special circumstances, and for proper reasons, the bishop (diocesan administrator) can permit him to live in another place. 2. If the parish priest leaves the parish for more than a week, he should report this to the bishop (diocesan administrator).

Appendices 99 3. The bishop (diocesan administrator) should formulate regulations stipulating that when a parish priest leaves his parish, another priest has the authority to supervise the parish on his behalf. Article 56: The assignment and duties of the assistant parish priest 1. In order to better carry out pastoral work in a parish, and if necessary and suitable, one or several assistant parish priests can be assigned to a parish to help the parish priest to carry out his pastoral duties. 2. The work of the assistant parish priest can be to help with the pastoral responsibilities for the whole parish, for a definite part of the parish, or for a certain number of the Christians in the parish. Or he can be in charge of a definite duty for several different parishes. 3. For one to be assigned as an assistant parish priest, he must first have received Holy Orders. Only then can the assignment take effect. 4. When the bishop assigns an assistant parish priest to a parish, unless the bishop determines otherwise, that priest has the responsibility to help the parish priest with all the work in the parish. But he does not have the obligation to offer the pro populo Mass. At the same time, if a legal matter arises, he has the responsibility to take over the duties of the parish priest in his absence. 5. The assistant parish priest should always report to the parish priest about any pastoral activities he plans to carry out, or that he has already carried out. In this way the parish priest and the assistant parish priests can coordinate their efforts in carrying out the pastoral work. 6. The assistant parish priest should live in the same quarters as the parish priest. Chapter Eight: The Parish Article 57: The parish and its establishment 1. The parish is a definitely established community of Christians in the local Church. A parish priest (pastor), assigned by the bishop and under the bishop's authority, is responsible for pastoral matters in the parish. 2. The bishop or diocesan administrator, after seeking the advice of the priests, and obtaining the agreement of the joint meeting of responsible persons in the diocese and the patriotic association, can establish, cancel or change the boundaries of a parish. He must also register this with the concerned government departments. 3. According to common practice, the parish is territorial in nature; that is, it includes all the Catholics within a definite territory. If necessary, because of liturgy, language or other differences, a special parish can be set up. Article 58: The administration of the parish 1. In all legal matters, a parish priest who has been assigned by the bishop represents the parish. According to the law, and in the name of the church, the parish priest manages the property of the parish. Without the agreement of the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) "two committees," of the bishop and of the diocesan management committee, the parish cannot rent out, tear down, or sell church property. If someone disobeys the above regulation, the project does not take effect. For those who cause financial loses, not only must they make compensation, but also an investigation will be carried out to discover the person(s) responsible for the matter. 2. Each parish should have its own seal. All documents which prove the legal identity of the Christians and all documents which have legal effect, should be signed by the parish priest or his substitute, and stamped with the parish seal. 3. Each parish should set up an archive, in which are to be placed all the parish registers, letters from the bishop and any other documents which should be kept. The bishop, or his representative, can inspect the documents when he makes the parish visitation, or at any other suitable time. The parish priest should guard against the loss of the above-mentioned documents. Article 59: The parish management group 1. Each parish should establish a parish democratic management group. The priests and Catholics together form this group. It should contain at least three persons, including one chairman and one vice-chairman. The parish priest (pastor) is the chairman, and the group comes into existence after approval by the diocese. The group helps the parish priest to manage administrative, pastoral and financial affairs, and helps to develop all facets of the work of the parish. If the parish does not have a resident pastor, then through democratic election, one of the Catholics can be chosen to be the responsible person for the parish management group. 2. The parish management group should follow the principles of collective leadership and democratic supervision in carrying out their tasks. Their most important responsibilities are:

Appendices 100 (1) Register all the churches, meeting places and properties of the parish in a ledger. The ledgers should then be placed in the diocesan archives. (2) The churches and meeting points in the parish are for the exclusive use of worshipping God and administering the sacraments. The management group should guarantee that they are used for that purpose only, and not for other purposes. The group should maintain the original state and completeness of the buildings, without any loss. (3) All financial income should be used correctly, in accordance with the regulations of the diocesan management committee. At certain times a public announcement of the financial situation should be made, and an annual report given to the diocese. (4) Each church and meeting point should be registered in accordance with the Method of Registration for Places of Religious Activity. After approval, the venue will receive a Certificate of Registration for a Place of Religious Activity. This certificate should not be amended, transferred, or loaned out. Article 60: After the church or meeting point is registered with the concerned departments of the government, then it possesses the conditions to become a legal person, and to register as a legal person. According to the law, a legal person enjoys civil authority and assumes civil responsibilities. Article 61: A church or meeting point should not invite a priest from outside the diocese to celebrate Mass or to administer the sacraments without the permission of the bishop (diocesan administrator). Chapter Nine: Mass Stipends Article 62: According to church custom, when a priest offers Mass or concelebrates, he may accept a stipend from someone, and offer the Mass for that person's intention. This is not only beneficial for the church, but it also helps to defray church expenses, and to take care of the living expenses of the clergy. Article 63: When a bishop or priest accepts a stipend from the Christians, no matter how small it is, he is obligated to offer one Mass for that person's intention. Article 64: If, through no fault of his own, the person who accepts a Mass stipend loses it, he is still obligated to offer the Mass for the donor's intention. Article 65: The amount of the Mass stipend is determined by the church administrative committee at the provincial (autonomous region or municipal) level. Priests are not permitted to ask for more than the stipulated amount. If the donor gives more than the stipulated amount, the priest can accept it. If the Mass stipend is comparatively large, and the donor has not specified the number of Masses to be offered, then the priest can determine the number of Masses according to the regulations regarding stipends in the place where the donor resides. Priests should also accept stipends, which are below the stipulated amount. They should even accept Mass intentions from poor Catholics, who cannot offer a Mass stipend. Article 66: For pastoral needs, priests can offer Mass several times a day. For each Mass they can satisfy one Mass intention. However, except for Christmas, they can only accept one Mass stipend a day. The other stipends should be turned over to the church. Article 67: If a priest concelebrates a Mass on the same day that he has already offered Mass, he may not, for any reason, accept a stipend for that Mass. Article 68: If a priest cannot fulfill all his intentions within one year, he should turn over the remaining intentions to the ordinary (diocesan administrator) for his disposal. Article 69: Every priest should carefully record all the Masses, intentions and stipends that he has received, as well as the Masses that he has already offered. If he has given Mass intentions to other priests, then he should immediately note down all the Masses, intentions and stipends that he has thus transferred. Article 70: Mass stipends should be uniformly turned over to the diocese. However, the bishop can determine how to use them based on the actual conditions of that diocese, and with the agreement of the diocesan management committee. Chapter Ten: Sisters' Congregations Article 71: Based on the situation and needs, each diocese may establish a religious congregation of Sisters, and stipulate its constitutions and rule. They must obtain the permission of the church affairs committee at the provincial, (autonomous region or municipal) level, and go through the necessary procedures. The superior of the congregation is chosen in accordance with the rule of the congregation and is appointed by the bishop. The superior is responsible for the work of formation and supervision of the congregation.

Appendices 101 Article 72: According to the present situation of the Church in China, only Sisters' congregations, which are under the supervision of the ordinary of the diocese, are allowed to exist. All the Sisters who originally belonged to international orders are uniformly under the leadership of the ordinary. They cannot set up their own convents. Article 73: Even if already established, each diocesan congregation of Sisters should report the name of their order, a brief biography of the superior, their constitutions and rule, and the number of members in their congregation to the BCCCC for their records. Article 74: The formation work of the Sisters' congregations, including the writing of teaching materials, and the setting up of the purpose and rule of the Sisters' congregations, should take into consideration the actual situation of China, so that the Sisters formed will not only be able to serve the church, but also be able to serve society. Article 75: While carrying out the basic spiritual, moral and character formation of the Sisters, emphasis should also be given to raising the level of their theological knowledge, culture and professionalism. Article 76: In view of the financial situation of the Chinese Church, besides receiving spiritual and academic formation, each Sister should also learn one or two skills, like sewing, embroidery, medicine, computer, or accounting. In this way they will obtain some means of self-support. Chapter Eleven: The Life of Diocesan Priests Article 77: The life of a priest should be perfect. From the sacrament of Holy Orders the priest becomes like Christ the priest. He is called to do the work of Christ the Lord, to cooperate in the Holy Orders of the bishop, and to contribute to the building up of the Body of Christ—the Church. Each priest in his own way is a representative of Christ. He enjoys special graces so that when he is serving the Catholics and non-Catholics in his care, he may be a more effective representative of Christ. The priest is consecrated by the Holy Spirit and is sent forth by the Holy Spirit. His body is considered mortified, so that it can be completely offered up in service for humankind. Relying on the powers given by Christ, the priest walks in the direction of perfection. Priests perform duties belonging to God and to justice. They need only pay attention to the instructions and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and they will achieve stability in their spiritual lives. In their daily spiritual exercises, and, in communion with the bishop and their fellow priests, the faithful performance of all the duties of their office, propels them forward on the road to perfection. Article 78: Obedience, chastity and poverty are the three virtues the priest promises to God when he takes on the office of priesthood. Throughout his whole priestly life, the priest should conscientiously struggle, and not give up, to fulfill these three vows. 1. Obedience (1) The priest is chosen by the Holy Spirit to complete God's work. It is beyond the wisdom and strength of mankind. Therefore priests should not seek their own will, but the will of the one who sent them. The will of Christ should guide them in all matters. (2) The priest's duties are the duties of the Church. Priests in each local Christian community represent the bishop. If priests are not subordinate to the bishop, and are not in communion with him, they cannot exercise their authority. Priests must respect and obey the commands of the bishop, sacrifice their own will, and wholeheartedly serve God and their brothers and sisters. (3) In a spirit of faith, priests should carry out the commands or perform the works given them by their bishop, or by any authoritative leader above them. They should accept any command, no matter how humble or poor, and carry it out to the best of their ability. Such obedience will guide God's children in the direction of more mature freedom. 2. Chastity (1) Chastity is a special grace given by God to priests. For the sake of the kingdom of God, the Church considers a life of complete and eternal chastity to be important for its priests. It truly is a sign of and support for pastoral love, and a special source of spiritual renewal in the world. (2) The mission of priests is to completely offer themselves for a new mankind, that is, a mankind reborn from Christ's conquest over death and from the bestowal of His Spirit. Priests observe chastity for the sake of the kingdom of God, and by a new supernatural means offer their bodies to Christ. In this way they more completely unite themselves to Christ, more freely serve God and mankind, and more effectively work for the kingdom of God and for the new supernatural life, which accompanies it. (3) In order to preserve well this precious treasure bestowed upon them, priests must humbly and with perseverance continually pray with the Church. At the same time, priests must make use of the supernatural

Appendices 102 means available to all. They should especially not ignore the most outstanding means available to them, namely the double nourishment of God's word in the Bible, and of the Body of Christ at the Eucharistic table. (4) In order that their single life will not suffer any harm, priests must be especially careful in their daily lives. In relating to people at all levels of society, with Catholics of both sexes, and with Sisters, they must maintain certain principles and measures. Such relations must be open, normal and on an equal basis, and without any selfish motive. When welcoming others, pay attention to the time and place. Such meetings should generally occur in a public place. 3. Poverty (1) In their daily lives, priests should discover the right attitude they should have towards the world and towards material things, because the Church's mission is in the world and because created things are necessary for human development. Priests should not only thank God for their lives, but for all that He has given them. But, with the eyes of faith, they should clearly judge every situation they meet, so that they know how to correctly use material things in accordance with God's will, and reject everything that is harmful to their mission. (2) Priests should take the Lord as their "portion". Therefore, their purpose for using material things must be in accordance with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ and with the laws of the Church. Priests are called to serve God and mankind. The money and materials that come their way should be enough to maintain their livelihood, or for carrying out their work. If there is a surplus, they should be willing to use it for the public good of the Church, or for a work of charity. Priests absolutely may not use Church office for profit, nor may they use the income from that office to increase personal property. Nor should one work to make money for relatives. Priests should definitely not worry about money, and should always avoid all kinds of avarice. They should conscientiously avoid all profit making activities. "In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce his possessions cannot be my disciple." (Lk 14:33) (3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:3) Clergy should lead a frugal life. They should avoid everything which would arouse antipathy in poor people. More than other Christians, in their use of material things, be it food, clothing or shelter, priests should abandon any appearance of luxury. They should not arrange their living quarters in such a way that people would not want to enter, or that poor people would not even dare to visit. Article 79: The clergy should continually study politics, the law, regulations and every policy. They should be concerned about national affairs and situations. They should conscientiously increase their knowledge of patriotism and socialism with Chinese characteristics. They must maintain the principles of the independent administration of the Church and of the democratic running of the Church. They should persist in adapting to socialist society. They should be "the light of the world and the salt of the earth." Chapter Twelve: Appendices Article 80: This system takes effect after examination and passage by the joint conference of the standing committees of the BCCCC and of the CCPA. Article 81: Based on this system and the actual situation in a diocese, each diocese can formulate rules and regulations for the management of the diocese. Article 82: Based on this system and the local situation, the "two committees" of each province, autonomous region and municipality can formulate rules and norms of conduct for the clergy. Article 83: The authority for explaining this management system rests with the Joint Chairpersons Conference of the CCPA and the BCCCC.

Appendices 103 Estimated Statistics for the Chinese Catholic Church (2003)

Number of Catholics 12,000,000

Number of Dioceses 138

Number of Bishops In the Open Church 74 In the Underground Church 46

Number of Priests In the Open Church 220 (Old); 1520 (Young) In the Underground Church 200 (Old); 800 (Young)

Number of Sisters In the Open Church 3,500 In the Underground Church 1,700

Number of Seminaries Major 14 Minor 22 Underground 10

Number of Seminarians In the Open Church 580 In the Underground Church Circa 800 Minor seminarians in the Open Church 800

Number of Novitiates In the Open Church 40 In the Underground Church 20

Number of Sisters in Formation In the Open Church 800 In the Underground Church 800

Extracted from "Tripod", Spring 2004, Vol. XXIV, No. 132

Appendices 104 Chronology of Major Events of the Catholic Church in China

1949  proclaims the People's Republic of China on October 1. The Chinese Communist Party makes the Common Manifesto the interim constitution. Pope Pius XII appoints six Chinese bishops, namely Bishops Duan Yinming, Deng Jizhou, Lei Zhenxia, Gong Pinmei (Kung Pinmei), Pi Shushi and Zhang Kexing.

1950 The Holy See appoints Father Joseph Kuo prefect of Taipei, the first Chinese bishop in Taiwan. Two years later, Taipei becomes an archdiocese and Bishop Kuo becomes an . China Catholics' Three-Self Movement promulgates the "Guangyuan Declaration".

1951 Pro-government vicar general Father Li Weiguang of Nanjing diocese in a statement, proposes the Three-self Principles of Self-support, Self-administrating and Self-propagating of the Catholic Church in China. China expels Archbishop , the Holy See's internuncio. Many Catholics and clergymen are arrested. Many Church institutions are nationalized. Pope Pius XII appoints seven Chinese bishops, including Bishops Fan Xueyan, Li Boyu, Li Daonan, Yi Xuanhua, Zong Huaimo, Wang Xueming and Li Huande.

1952 On January 18, Pope Pius XII issues an apostolic letter, , to the Chinese Catholics. The Chinese Communist government imprisons 220 Chinese priests and 94 foreign . Pope Pius XII appoints another Chinese bishop: Bishop Wan Zizhang.

1954 Pope Pius XII issues a second letter, , to the Church in China on the "Three-self Movement".

1955 Bishop Gong Pinmei and some 300 priests and lay Catholics are arrested in Shanghai. Numerous clergymen and Catholics are also arrested in various parts of China. Vicar General Father Li Weiguang, Nanjing Diocese, is excommunicated for intending to set up "a Catholic Church of the government". Pope Pius XII appoints another Chinese bishop: Bishop Yang Guangqi. This is the Pope's last episcopal appointment.

1957 The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is established in Beijing and the First National Conference is held. Archbishop Pi Shoushi of Shenyang archdiocese is elected chairman.

1958 The Church in China, on its own, elects and ordains Father Dong Guangqing as Bishop of Hankou and Father Yuan Wenhua as Bishop of Wuchang. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association requests the Holy See's approval but the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith turns down the request. Pope Pius XII issues his third apostolic letter to the Chinese Catholics, . More bishops are nominated and ordained without Vatican approval.

1960 Bishop Zhu Kaimin of Haimen dies during the period of house arrest. Bishop Gong Pinmei of Shanghai is sentenced to life imprisonment.

1962 The Second Conference of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) is held in Beijing. Seven more bishops are ordained illicitly, bringing the total of self-elected bishops to 45.

Appendices 105 1966  Mao Zedong launches the Cultural Revolution. All Churches are closed. Clergymen, including priests and bishops who joined the Patriotic Association, are either put in jail or sent for reform- through-labour camps.

1967 On January 6, in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Paul VI offers Mass for the persecuted Chinese Catholics.

1970 Pope Paul VI visits Hong Kong and addresses a message to China calling for dialogue. Bishop James E. Walsh—the last foreign missionary in prison—is released.

1977 Some religious people are rehabilitated.

1979 Some bishops and priests imprisoned in the 1950s are released. Some seminaries not recognized by the government re-open and resume their formation classes.

1980 In May, the Third National Conference of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) is held in Beijing. The Conference sets up the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese Church Affairs Committee. The decision is made to hold the First National Congress for Chinese Catholic Representatives.

1981 Pope John Paul II, in Manila makes an appeal to China for dialogue. Bishop Yiming (Deng Yiming) goes to Hong Kong from for medical treatment and then to Rome for an ad limina visit. Pope John Paul II appoints him Archbishop of Guangzhou. This arouses strong protest from the Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese government. Bishop Ye Yinyun of Huiyang is elected and ordained to head the Guangzhou Diocese. Bishop Fan Xueyan of Baoding, appointed by Pope Pius XII, consecrates in private three priests as bishops, including Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhending, Bishop Zhou Shangfu (Zhou Shanfu) of Yixiang, both in Hebei, and Bishop Wang Milu of Tianshu, Gansu. This initiates episcopal in the Underground Church.

1982 Pope John Paul II appeals to all bishops around the world to pray for China and reiterates the apostolic leadership of the Holy See. The Chinese government circulates Document 19 (an internal document) which explains the government's religious policy in the 1980s.

1983 The Joint Assembly of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Church Affairs Committee is held in Beijing. The Open Church celebrates the 25th anniversary of self-elected and self-ordained bishops. Pope John Paul II renews his appeal for dialogue. The National Seminary in Beijing opens. Other seminaries open in various places of China.

1985 Bishop Gong Pinmei of Shanghai is released after 30 years of imprisonment. The Open Church ordains some 20 priests in various places in China; most of them are middle-aged deacons who received their priestly formation in the 1950s.

1986 The Fourth National Conference of the Catholic Patriotic Association is held in Beijing. One resolution calls for churches to set up formation groups, liturgy reform groups, and theology research groups in the seminaries. The Open Church also begins research on reforming the liturgy using the vernacular.

Appendices 106 1988 Bishop Fan Xueyan releases his "13 Points Directive", an instruction for Catholics regarding the Open Churches. Cardinal Joseph Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, issues an 8- point Directive related to the Church of China.

1989 The Central office of the Communist Party and of the State Council issues Document 3 (an internal document) on setting up controls over the Catholic Church. The pro-Democracy movement erupts in Beijing ending in a bloody crackdown at Tiananmen Square. The Open and Underground Church remains neutral to the movement. A dozen bishops and a number of priests of the Underground Church meet and establish the Underground Church Bishops' Conference. They elect Bishop Fan Xueyan (who is absent), Bishop Gong Pinmei (who is abroad), and Bishop Deng Yiming as honorary chairman; Bishop Liu Guandong of Yixiang as chairman; Coadjutor Bishop Liu Shuhe of Yixiang as secretary general. The government cracks down on the Conference and a number of bishops are arrested. They are either sent to prison or for Reform Through Labour.

1991 16 seminarians of the Central and Southern Seminary in Hebei are ordained to the priesthood in Hankou Cathedral. It is the largest number ordained at one time since 1980. The Central Office of the Communist Party issues Document 6: "Some Problems Concerning Further Improving Work on Religion". The State Council releases a White Paper—"Human Rights in China", which reiterates that Chinese citizens enjoy religious freedom. The White Paper notes that China has 3.5 million Catholics.

1992 The Fifth National Catholic Congress is held in Beijing. Results: Revised constitution for CCPA and Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference. Meeting puts Bishops' Conference on same footing as CCPA. Decision also made to use the vernacular in the liturgy. The Information Office of the State Council releases a White Paper entitled "Tibet: Its Ownership and Human Rights Situation", and reveals for the first time that Tibet has 600 Catholics among its 2 million population.

1993 The government-recognized Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China issues "Regulations Regarding the Election and Consecration of Bishops", emphasizing that results from bishops' election must be approved by the Bishops' Conference. Pope John Paul II visits the birthplace of Matteo Ricci, and expresses his strong desire to visit China. The Bishops' Conference of the Underground Church submits recommendations to the Holy See on Church affairs after there is a "normalization" of relationships between China and the Vatican.

1994 The State Council of the People's Republic of China issues "Provisions on Managing the Religious Activities of Foreigners in the PRC", and the "Regulations on Managing Places for Religious Activities".

1998 Pope John Paul II announces in Rome that he has invited Bishop Duan Yinming and Coadjutor Bishop Xu Zhixuan of Wanxian to attend the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia. They do not attend since China does not allow them to obtain visas.

Appendices 107 1998 The Eighth National Congress of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Meeting approves the list of committee members for the Ninth Meeting. The list includes 2,196 members from 33 sectors, with 60 from the religious sectors, such as Catholics Ma Yinglin, Liu Yuanren, Liu Bainian, Liu Yajing, Liu Jinghe, Jin Luxian, Fang Xinyao and Dong Guangqing, etc. The Sixth National Congress of Catholic Representatives is held in Beijing. Earlier the State Council's Religious Affairs Bureau has been renamed as the State Administration of Religious Affairs. Its additional duties include: 1. Fostering research on important issues on Chinese religions and providing recommendations to Party's Central Office and the State Council; 2. Changing gradually from the heavy reliance on policy direction in the work of religions to giving policy direction, ruling by law in management and administration; 3. Giving instructions in a macro sense to the work of local government's religious departments according to the work direction of Party's Central Office and the State Council.

1999 The preparatory group for the Association of Superiors of Religious Women's Congregations in Hebei meets in Shijiazhuang. Sister Zhang Jiaqin of the Little Sisters of Teresa of Xingtai and Sister Zhang Xiang'ai of Handan are elected chairperson and vice chairperson of the preparatory group for a term of two years.

2000 Five priests, Jin Daoyuan of Changzhi, Shanxi province; Fang Jianping of Tangshan, Hebei province, Su Changshan of Baoding, Hebei province, Lu Xinping of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and Jan Silu of Mindong, Fujiang province, accept ordination as bishops in Beijing without a papal mandate. The consecration takes place in the Nantang (south church) of Beijing and is presided over by Bishop Liu Yuanren of Nanjing. Concelebrant is Bishop Fu Tieshan of Beijing. On China's National Day, the Holy See canonizes 120 martyr-saints who died for their faith during the Qing Dynasty. The act arouses strong protests from the Chinese government. The Holy See claims that the Oct. 1 canonizations have no political aim. Chinese officials in Hong Kong request the Hong Kong Diocese to keep the occasion in low profile.

2002 Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, announces that the Congregation intends to set up an Asian Centre to provide assistance of various kinds to Sisters from Mainland China and other Asian countries studying in Rome. The Centre is only in a conceptual stage. During an international conference commemorating the fourth centenary of Matteo Ricci's arrival in Beijing, Pope John Paul II apologizes for any past misdeed committed by foreign missionaries in China. By this act he hopes to improve relationships between the Holy See and China.

Appendices 108 One voice is not enough But a thousand voices can make a forceful sound. We need your voice.

Improvement in religious freedom in China depends on our concern and our ongoing appeal to the Chinese government. We hope you can:  Introduce this book to your friends or invite them to download articles from our website (http://www.hkjp.org) so people can learn more about the situation of the Catholic Church in China.  Deepen others' understanding by having discussions with your friends and/or organize seminars on the situation of the Church in China.  Inform others about the suppression in the China Church and appeal to us or any other reliable human rights group, asking them for information or to make an urgent appeal.  Arouse public awareness and help form public opinion by writing what you know about the suppression of the Church in China and sending it to the press for publication. Please send us a copy for our record.  Visit the China Church with others under safe conditions, and share with them to manifest your support.  Join social action groups or educational activities and voice your concern for the Church in China. Pray for our brothers and sisters in China that they may soon truly enjoy complete religious freedom.

* Please join our joint appeal campaign to the Chinese government by filling out and signing the form on the following page. Please send your signed letter to: 1.Mr. Hu Jintao, President of China Address: General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Fuyou Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100017, People’s Republic of China. Or 2.Mr. Ye Xiaowen, Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs Address: House No. 44, Houhai Beiyuan, Xicheng District, Beijing 100009, People’s Republic of China. If you prefer, you may also send your signed letter to us by fax, e-mail or by post and we will forward it to the Chinese government for you: Fax: 2539-8023 or e-mail: [email protected] or By post: Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, Room 302, Bishop Lei Pastoral Centre, No. 1 Tai Shek Street, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong.

For enquiries or more information on the situation of the Church in China, please visit our website or return the slip below to us by fax or by post. ✄ Please tick appropriate box: ❑ Please notify me regarding information/ signature campaign/activities regarding religious freedom in China. ❑ I would like to volunteer to do educational promotion work related to religious freedom in China.

Name: Parish/ Group (if any): Tel: E-mail: ✄ Address: Please tick appeals of interest. You may choose more than one. You may also add your own appeal under "Other" below. Please duplicate this form and invite your friends to join the campaign.

Appeals to the Chinese Government on Religious Freedom ❑ Release all members of the clergy and lay people unfairly arrested. ❑ Reveal the whereabouts of disappeared clergy ( including Bishop Su Zhemin (also Su Zhimin) and Auxiliary Bishop An Shuxin of Baoding Diocese, Hebei Province) and ensure their personal safety. ❑ Abolish administrative detention, the Re-education Through Labour system, and administrative measures that permit the detention of persons for religious reasons and prisoners-of- conscience. ❑ Stop house arrests, surveillance and detention of Church people. ❑ Respect the will of Church people, who do not wish to join government-established open church organizations. ❑ Respect and protect the religious freedom of children, military personnel and Communist members. ❑ Ensure the general flow of information, respect the freedom of the press, and allow news reports on violations of human rights. ❑ Hold officials accountable who infringe on religious freedom. ❑ Pledge to uphold the conditions set down in the international covenants on Human Rights already ratified by China.

Other:

Postal address in the previous page Birds in the Cage Freedom of Religious Belief in China

Published by Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese Address : Room 302, Bishop Lei Pastoral Centre, 1 Tai Shek Street, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong. Telephone : (852) 2560 3865 Fax : (852) 2539 8023 E-mail : [email protected] Homepage : http://www.hkjp.org

First Print, Chinese edition, December 2003 Second Print, Chinese edition, March 2004 English edition, August 2004

ISBN: 962-85768-7-9 Price: HK$ 40

©All Rights Reserved. The materials in this book may be reproduced freely, provided the name of the publisher is clearly stated, and the permission of the publisher has been secured.