(Death, Heaven, Purgatory, Hell)
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Interview
With Italian Journalist Gerolamo Fazzini
ROME, OCT. 14, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
The Church in China exists among lights and shadows, said an Italian reporter
who recently spent three weeks in the country meeting with priests, nuns and lay
people.
Following his trip, Gerolamo Fazzini, co-editor of Mondo e Missione, of the
Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, wrote six reports, on as many Chinese
cities, for the Italian Catholic episcopate's newspaper Avvenire.
In this interview with ZENIT, Fazzini shares his impressions and assesses some
recent events relative to the Church in China.
Q: How do you see the situation of Christians in China? Does optimism or
mistrust prevail?
Fazzini: It is difficult to make a global evaluation. The readings oscillate
between the optimism of those, such as David Aikman, author of a much-discussed
book, "Jesus in Beijing" -- which prophesies a luminous future for Christianity
in China, especially for Protestants -- and the pessimism of those who see an
uncertain future, even darker than the present, in light of the fact that the
regime does not seem willing to take steps when it comes to religious rights.
The impression received when visiting China is that the two attitudes, hope and
disillusion, coexist -- just as the wheat of the Church's vitality coexists with
the weeds of political control, which makes itself heard at different times and
in different places -- but which has not given up the pretension of governing
the religious realm -- and the internal tensions in the Christian communities,
which are not lacking.
Q: In recent weeks there have been two news items reflecting opposite signs: the
government's ban on the participation of four Chinese bishops, invited to the
Synod of Bishops by Benedict XVI, and the announcement, by the superior of the
Missionaries of Charity, that the government has invited Mother Teresa's
religious to go to China, something long dreamed about by the founder. How
should these two contradictory events be interpreted?
Fazzini: One would have to be in the control room to understand the internal
dynamics of power.
I will restrict myself to observe that such contradictory and enigmatic signs
confirm the fact that something is changing, although it is difficult to make
predictions. Personally, I am confident, given that the one who directs history
is unpredictable.
Q: Regarding Catholics in China, are there really two Churches? What is the
relationship like between them?
Fazzini: It is a known fact that the situation of the Catholic Church has
altogether particular features in China. There are two communities -- not two
Churches; the Church is the same one, that of Christ.
One is the official community, which makes reference to the Chinese Catholics'
Patriotic Association [CCPA], the other is the improperly called "underground"
Church, which does not recognize the CCPA's authority.
The novelty in recent times is that, on both sides, there are those who are
working for reconciliation, to overcome the impasse. Not, of course, by putting
a headstone on the past or forgetting the many martyrs of yesterday and today,
but by seeking at the same time to emerge from a situation that risks
fossilization.
Although it is true that the "underground" community is the most scourged by
persecution, it must not be thought that for the official community the
situation is rose-colored. The latter also suffers limitations in its activity,
as is the case of any religious presence in China.
In fact, in different ways, penury of means, lack of personnel, difficulties in
resisting the speed of changes of the age, which China is going through, are
elements that unite the faithful of the two communities.
Beyond this, I have been able to appreciate in both communities a great desire
for reconciliation and unity, despite the internal difficulties that afflict
different dioceses. An agreeable surprise for me was to see members of the
official community express a great affection for the Pope, and a strong love for
the universal Church.
Q: In your trip to China, what impressed you most about the consecrated life of
the Church?
Fazzini: The situation of women religious impressed me. Because there is
virtually no talk about them yet, they are discreet and humble, but living a
pledge.
I met them in Xian, in Shanghai, in Beijing, including some nuns of the region
of Hebei, which is to a degree the bastion of the "underground" communities.
They wear their habits only for solemn religious celebrations; usually they wear
normal, simple clothes; they could easily be confused with the local women. It
is known that women religious in China cannot belong to any international order
or congregation.
They all refer to a diocesan institution and depend on the local bishop. Many of
them are young, they have great faith but often an inadequate formation.
Q: What is the
most problematic aspect that the Catholic Church faces in China today?
Fazzini: It is difficult to say. One of the fundamental points is the formation
of the clergy and of women religious. The long persecution of the past decades
has caused enormous damages. There is an entire generation of bishops and
priests missing. It is easy to imagine what this means in terms of formation.
Such a question is part of a more general problem which we could define in the
implementation of the Second Vatican Council in ordinary pastoral praxis. Young
people, who in the span of a few years will take the reins of the Church in
China, will be one of the crucial challenges for the new bishops.
Q: China is changing at an impressive rate. Can the Church cope with the speed
of change, meet the challenges that arise, and proclaim Christ to the younger
generations?
Fazzini: Yes and no. In the large cities -- I am thinking, for example, of
Shanghai and Beijing -- there is no lack of committed bishops, priests and lay
people who have the necessary preparation to address the volume of challenges
that are at hand. Some have studied abroad; they are able to relate to the new
context.
But many others exhaust themselves trying to make sense of the world around us,
for lack of adequate instruments. Going from the cities to the countryside, for
example, one notes, just by looking at the Church\'s iconography, the profound
chasm that separates the urban reality from the countryside.
The majority of lay Chinese live in rural areas, but the future will be decided
increasingly in the cities. In the future, will Christianity be able to speak to
the increasingly modern Chinese people? Beyond the problems connected to the
public context, this seems to be the greatest challenge for the Church in China.
Q: Could you comment on the unbalanced social inequalities that exist alongside
the spectacular economic development in China?
Fazzini: Indeed. Traveling through China, even only for a few weeks, as was my
case, one perceives this difference. Next to the class of those who are
outstanding, who are perfectly integrated in the international economic circuit,
is the mass of the population, especially rural, that lives in conditions of
poverty, without adequate social services.
The authorities perceive this situation: President Hu Jintao said that economic
growth must go at the same pace as the struggle against disparity between the
richer coastal provinces and regions of the interior, extremely poor.
Because of this, the Chinese Communist Party is about to launch a five-year plan
to build a \"more harmonious and stable\" society. We\'ll see.
What is positive is the novelty that the government is realizing that it cannot
guarantee a minimum level of welfare to the population and, therefore, little by
little is making possible room for action, limited but real, for the NGOs. We
are far from subsidiarity as we understand it, but, in any case, it is a
positive sign.
Q: Often terrible news comes from China relative to the practices of
\"demographic control\": abortions on a large scale, infanticide and forced
sterilizations. What can citizens of Western countries do to help China check
these phenomena?
Fazzini: That China has a problem of demographic control is plain for everyone
to see. It is not enough to affirm it theoretically. When one sees the
megalopolis brimming with crowds, the metropolises full to the point of
disbelief, one then intuits the extent of the problem. What to do?
One can, for example, help China to identify the most appropriate ways to
educate in responsible paternity and maternity. Political fantasy? Not really.
Experimental programs of the Billings [Ovulation] Method [of natural family
planning] was introduced successfully two years ago in some areas. Why not
support its extension on a large scale, accompanying it with a campaign of
education of young people?
Sadly, and mistakenly, I do not think that Western governments, in the main
pro-abortion, will support this solution. Another interesting path that is
opening, as regards Italy, is the international adoption of Chinese children.
Q: What can Christians do?
Fazzini: First, pray. If God is the one who moves history, he must be asked with
insistence for the necessary help for our Chinese brothers and sisters. The
Church in China, moreover, feels very comforted in knowing that sister Churches
don\'t forget her.
Second, it is important to get involved, to know what is available: The
instruments are not lacking, from Catholic agencies, such as ZENIT and AsiaNews
to specialized reviews such as Mondo e Missione.
Fundamental, in my opinion, is the background strategy. It is necessary to
express the greatest \"liking\" for the Chinese people, for their very rich and
ancient culture, and at the same time to make it \"pressing\" for the
authorities to change what is against human rights.
Finally, I think one must also contribute financially to support the Church in
China.