Catholicism in China

My brother and I went to visit our parents this last weekend. On Sunday, we attended Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Fort Dodge. The celebrating priest was visiting from India and in his homily, he talked about being a Christian there. This included being a minority and the hostility toward Christianity there.

Perhaps it is mere coincidence that Sandro Magister would write about India's northern neighbor a day later. The article is a summation of Sino-Vatican relations over the past year or so. Please read it.

Read the article:
New Bishops for Tomorrow’s China from www.chiesa.

The basic premise of the article is that the Patriotic Association, the official Church in China, and the underground Church that maintains unity with the Holy See, are converging. Magister explains the situations of several bishops who while officially approved in the Patriotic Association, are tacitly united with Rome as well.

What I am more concerned with is the situation in Taiwan. This quote stands out:

As for Taiwan, the Holy See has already made it known that it is ready to move its nunciature from Taipei to Beijing, where it was before Mao rose to power. It has paved the way for this transition with both the government and the Catholics of Taiwan, with whom it will in any case maintain de facto relations. But “it would be fitting that this step be taken, not before, but after Beijing has guaranteed genuine religious liberty,” as Joseph Zen, the bishop of Hong Kong, has cautioned.

I'd like to know just what 'paving the way' with the Republic of China and the Catholics of Taiwan entails. Joseph Zen clearly states the qualification that needs to come about before the Holy See moves from Taipei to Beijing. If the Holy See tries to grasp too much in China, it's going to find itself getting burned, badly.