2010
I started 2010 (and measured its days) with the calendar, sold by the Diocese of Beijing. The title of this calendar is 我们的教宗, Women de jiaozong, Our Popes.
And now we are nearing the end of 2010 with this news out of Beijing.
The analysis from Ambrose Leung of the South China Morning Post is a great read on the subject, but, unfortunately behind a paywall. He notes that while Ma has been elected to the chairmanship of the Bishop's Conference "it is the [Catholic Patriotic] association which holds real power, and Bishop Johan Fang Xingyao of the Linyi diocese in Shandong - a bishop recognised by both the Vatican and Beijing - was selected as its chairman." This divide sends even more confusing signals regarding Sino-Vatican relations.
And in case you missed it, this happened in Shijiazhuang in Hebei province recently. I read about it first on the SCMP website, but the Asia News article had an accompanying photo.
And now we are nearing the end of 2010 with this news out of Beijing.
The analysis from Ambrose Leung of the South China Morning Post is a great read on the subject, but, unfortunately behind a paywall. He notes that while Ma has been elected to the chairmanship of the Bishop's Conference "it is the [Catholic Patriotic] association which holds real power, and Bishop Johan Fang Xingyao of the Linyi diocese in Shandong - a bishop recognised by both the Vatican and Beijing - was selected as its chairman." This divide sends even more confusing signals regarding Sino-Vatican relations.
And in case you missed it, this happened in Shijiazhuang in Hebei province recently. I read about it first on the SCMP website, but the Asia News article had an accompanying photo.
Comments
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uomo
whereby the Chinese plural "our" associates persons in relation to a door or gate, 门 radical 169, and that got me marvelling how we in the Catholic Church model ourselves on Mary whose virginity of course since patristic times has been seen as a closed door (can't recall the OT prophet, Exekiel perhaps?) an enclosed garden, the Gate of Heaven.
And the concept of docility in the reference to the Pope: the character for filial piety incorporating that for 'elder' over that for 'child.' We are all filial fruit of the one true God.
Yet is this perhaps where the patriotic inculturation/indoctrination is such a hard nut to crack - the self-identification of the Chinese people in the primacy given to origins rather than final destiny? Is the "gate" of communal reference in the temporal sphere a filial piety of political allegiance to the state apparatus, the communist party, the 5,000-yr old sino-asiatic Han culture? Whereas the "gate" of communion in the eternal sphere is a filial piety of spiritual adoption into a "lesser-ranking seniority" Christianity being only a 2,000-yr old culture?
Where perhaps such conundrums what kept the Jesuit missionaries focused on the elite masters of Confucian thought, seeking points of commonality in the ancient philosophy of the West with that of the East? Finding a glimpse of the imago dei wherever they could find it hidden amongst the pictogram lexigography? Nothing less than the heroic challenge bequeathed by our Savior to each generation: to pass the gift of faith we received to those who come after!
God Bless your visit with family (and may God forgive my envy: my son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren are again not flying in from far away this year - sixth year I'll miss em -- they're not that financially established yet to be able to afford it, we visit them instead, off season, and combine a visit to my parents too).