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The letter

No, I haven't any exclusive, inside-China scoop at this time. The letter was only released a few days ago, so I am waiting to see if anyone at the church ends up coming up to me (as sometimes happens) and ask me about it. It won't take long, I am sure, for this to happen.
There are a few things that have surprised me about the Pope's letter, or rather the reaction to it. Since the Patriotic Association was to have advance access to the letter, I expected something....larger in term of reponse. Either way, with strong outrage or with warm welcome. Not quite what I expected.
There has been some response in the press, certainly. The news has trickled this week, and the reactions publicized have been mixed. Either Anthony Liu Bainian welcomes the letter or he is defiant, defending China's right to pick their own bishops. Either Cardinal Zen thinks the official Chinese positions on the letter are awful or mild. And speaking of Cardinal Zen's position on the letter itself, was he really decrying mixed messages in the Pope's message when he released these comments? By the way, if you haven't read it, Adam Minter has some interesting thoughts about Cardinal Zen's released statement concerning the letter.
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Anonymous said…
Among other goals, the letter serves as an opening offer in the ongoing diplomacy between the Holy See and Beijing. So, in that sense, the relatively muted response should come as no surprise. This is going to be a long process, and at this point both sides are going to be staking out positions. Any comments, from either side, should probably be looked at in that context. Now, as to whether anything eventually comes out of these negotiations - that's anybody's guess. But, for now at least, I think it's best to watch this whole process as the early moves in a very complicated chess match.
Jul 7, 2007, 4:51:00 PM
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