A little more on China: religious liberties
This morning before Mass, I read a Zenit (Vatican news service) article about religious "freedom" in China. After Mass I saw in my email a copy from LC. So on the same page are we sometimes (ha-ha)
The article reports on the findings of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Department of State's 2005 Religious Freedom Report. It is as you may have expected, provided you were not expecting routine round-ups of all believers. The Chinese Government sincerely believes that they grant religious liberties--to those who register and follow the rules. And it isn't just the Chinese believing this is real liberty. Luis Palau, who accompanied President Bush to church on Sunday morning in Beijing, also agrees, or at least as he is quoted in this official Chinese press release. He says things like, "I myself have total freedom to speak at every church and every gathering in China. Nobody told me what to say and what not to say," and "I like to encourage [the unregistered churches] to be registered to have more freedom and opportunities to enjoy the protection and blessing of the government." I wonder if he knows he said those things, or if he did--huh? (And RheaDogg, if you have gotten this far, don't for one minute fool yourself into thinking I don't know about your secret stash of Palau and Benny Hinn videos.)
The SCMP reported on the President's church-going this morning, under the headline "Bush preaches freedom to the converted." It was in this article that I learned why this particular church is chosen for these official visits (Rice, Albright, Clinton, Reagan). It is easy to secure, not being surrounded by tall buildings. Just some interesting trivia.
And if you would like some additional reading on China, and how they perceive their progress towards religious liberties, I found this and this from one of the official news outlets in China informative. For the first link, one from the time of the Synod of bishops earlier this year, there is expressed a deep regret among Chinese Catholics (of the Patriotic Catholic Church) that they feel as though the Universal Catholic Church and the Vatican have little desire to remain in contact with them or recognize them as members of the Church. No way to tell if this is pure propaganda, propagandized statements by a minority of well-placed members, or actual widespread belief, but what was interesting is that the Chinese version of events was that the bishops were too ill to attend and the Vatican knew that when they extended the invitation, and the Vatican version is that the Chinese government would not let them participate by way of bureaucratic obstacles. Bishop Jin Luxian is 89 or 90 years old; Bishop Li Duan is 78 and has cancer. Both of these men are of the Chinese Patriotic Church and also are in communion with Rome (Jin may also be a secret cardinal). The other two invitees are of the "underground church" Bishop Wei Jingyi is 46 and Bishop Li Jingfeng is in his mid-80s. Too old? Ill? Pure bureaucracy? All of the above?
The second "this" above is also a fascinating read if you have time. It chronicles the Chinese Government's position on religious liberties as a story of "how foreigners burned us with their religions and we still recovered to allow for a generation of believers if they choose it." Again, propaganda, propagandized statements, or widespread belief? Who knows. But please remember that Randy's Chinese national coworkers were taught that the Kamikaze never happened. This history of churches in China is probably well understood as truth in China. Reading it can help you make sense of the Chinese suspicion of foreign control of religious institutions and why they register for recognition to prove their Chinese-ness. I'm not saying I agree (unlike Palau), but all this exercise is for is to understand where they are coming from.
The article reports on the findings of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Department of State's 2005 Religious Freedom Report. It is as you may have expected, provided you were not expecting routine round-ups of all believers. The Chinese Government sincerely believes that they grant religious liberties--to those who register and follow the rules. And it isn't just the Chinese believing this is real liberty. Luis Palau, who accompanied President Bush to church on Sunday morning in Beijing, also agrees, or at least as he is quoted in this official Chinese press release. He says things like, "I myself have total freedom to speak at every church and every gathering in China. Nobody told me what to say and what not to say," and "I like to encourage [the unregistered churches] to be registered to have more freedom and opportunities to enjoy the protection and blessing of the government." I wonder if he knows he said those things, or if he did--huh? (And RheaDogg, if you have gotten this far, don't for one minute fool yourself into thinking I don't know about your secret stash of Palau and Benny Hinn videos.)
The SCMP reported on the President's church-going this morning, under the headline "Bush preaches freedom to the converted." It was in this article that I learned why this particular church is chosen for these official visits (Rice, Albright, Clinton, Reagan). It is easy to secure, not being surrounded by tall buildings. Just some interesting trivia.
And if you would like some additional reading on China, and how they perceive their progress towards religious liberties, I found this and this from one of the official news outlets in China informative. For the first link, one from the time of the Synod of bishops earlier this year, there is expressed a deep regret among Chinese Catholics (of the Patriotic Catholic Church) that they feel as though the Universal Catholic Church and the Vatican have little desire to remain in contact with them or recognize them as members of the Church. No way to tell if this is pure propaganda, propagandized statements by a minority of well-placed members, or actual widespread belief, but what was interesting is that the Chinese version of events was that the bishops were too ill to attend and the Vatican knew that when they extended the invitation, and the Vatican version is that the Chinese government would not let them participate by way of bureaucratic obstacles. Bishop Jin Luxian is 89 or 90 years old; Bishop Li Duan is 78 and has cancer. Both of these men are of the Chinese Patriotic Church and also are in communion with Rome (Jin may also be a secret cardinal). The other two invitees are of the "underground church" Bishop Wei Jingyi is 46 and Bishop Li Jingfeng is in his mid-80s. Too old? Ill? Pure bureaucracy? All of the above?
The second "this" above is also a fascinating read if you have time. It chronicles the Chinese Government's position on religious liberties as a story of "how foreigners burned us with their religions and we still recovered to allow for a generation of believers if they choose it." Again, propaganda, propagandized statements, or widespread belief? Who knows. But please remember that Randy's Chinese national coworkers were taught that the Kamikaze never happened. This history of churches in China is probably well understood as truth in China. Reading it can help you make sense of the Chinese suspicion of foreign control of religious institutions and why they register for recognition to prove their Chinese-ness. I'm not saying I agree (unlike Palau), but all this exercise is for is to understand where they are coming from.
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rheadogg
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Did you see on that link another Baldwin has joined the televangelist circuit? She's a Mrs. Baldwin, but a Baldwin nonetheless......