“Reconciliation among China’s Catholics is close to Pope’s heart”

Communication between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China “continues with a spirit of goodwill on both parts” and aims to seek “realistic solutions for the good of everyone”. Watertight confirmation of the important step in the dialogue between Beijing and the Holy See is given by His Holiness’s Secretary of the State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, himself. In a wide-spanning interview with Stefania Falasca of Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire, the cardinal from Vicenza who is head of Vatican diplomacy, outlines the criteria and objectives of the Holy See in its present relations with representatives of the Chinese government.
 
 
“For the Holy See, it is particularly important that Chinese Catholics be able to live their faith in a positive way, whilst also being good citizens and contributing to the reinforcement of harmony throughout Chinese society”. Amid a growing overexcitement in the media over Sino-Vatican relations, the Vatican Secretary of State recalls that “the path of mutual understanding and trust takes time, patience and long-sightedness”. Ignoring widespread scaremongering over alleged “political and diplomatic pacts” pursued by the Vatican with disregard for local Catholic communities, Parolin set the record straight, saying that the Poly See’s primary aim in its communications with Beijing is to make the lives of Catholic faithful in China simpler and foster reconciliation between so-called “official” and “clandestine” communities and: “The claim that there are two different Churches in China does not correspond to historical reality or to the life of faith of Chinese Catholics,” Parolin stressed, disproving one of the biggest misstatements relating to Catholic affairs in China. There are in fact two communities that are both eager to live in full communion with the Successor of Peter”. Each of these,” Parolin underlined, “carries with it the historical baggage of moments of great testimony and suffering, which tells us something about the complexity and contradictions that exist within this vast country”. It is the wish of the Holy See “to one day see these two communities reconciled, embracing one another, giving and receiving mercy in a joint proclamation of the Gospel that is truly credible”. It is this reconciliation that Pope Francis holds close to his heart,” the Vatican Secretary of State reiterated: “that past tensions and divisions may be overcome so that a new chapter can be written in the history of the Chinese Church,” in the full knowledge that this Church “has its own figures who have acted as heroic testimonies of the Gospel, a river of holiness that is often hidden or unknown to most”. This path of reconciliation” Parolin said with a sense of confidence, can be “a telling example for the world as a whole, building bridges of fraternity and communion everywhere”.
 
 
The Italian cardinal will soon be taking part in the celebrations for the 38th anniversary of John Paul I’s papal election in Canale d’Agordo. Falasca’s articulate interview began with Parolin’s devotion for John Paul I, who was from the same region as him (“I admire his holy way of living. I hope the proclamation of his virtues will take place soon so that he can be beatified”), before moving onto issues linked to international politics. Asked about the military interventions carried out by coalitions and single nations in the Middle East and Libya, Parolin acknowledged that the recourse to military methods as a means of restoring peace is foreseen in international politics “only as a last resort”. He added, however, that “intervention by foreign forces often contributes, for all sorts of reasons, to the intensification of conflict and the suffering of civilians”. The Vatican Secretary of State, along with Francis, repeats that “there is no war between Christianity and Islam” and remarks that “in terms of numbers, Islamic terrorism impacts Muslims more than Christians”.
 
 
The “so-called religious war”,” Parolin pointed out, is evoked precisely by Islamic State followers who use Islam “to justify their acts of violence”. We must avoid “falling into their trap”. Parolin lauded Muslims for their gesture of attending Masses in the wake of French priest Jacques Hamel’s martyrdom. He called this a “sign of fraternity, solidarity and rejection of violence,” although in some cases, failure to respect the rules in place for non-Christian participants in Eucharistic liturgies “gives rise to misunderstandings and criticisms”.
 
 
Pope Francis’ chosen Secretary of State denied all legitimacy of the sophistry of western leaders who shut the door on migration flows, using the defence of their own cultural identity, marked by Christianity, as a pretext. “The spirit of welcome is an essential part of Christian identity and a concrete way of enacting the works of mercy which Jesus indicates to us in the Gospel,” Parolin recalled.
 
 
 
Asked about the interest and respect which Pope Francis’ speeches have earned him even among world powers, the Secretary of State took the opportunity to focus on “one factor that is often underestimated: Pope Francis is not a political leader or the boss of some big and powerful multinational, an expert in political, commercial and financial strategies. He is the Successor of Peter, the Pastor of the universal Church, chosen by God for this demanding task and his only concern is to proclaim the Gospel which brings salvation, so that all men can be reconciled with God and their brothers and thus find hope and peace once again”. The Pope’s involvement in the dramas and problems experienced by the human family is driven solely by this apostolic solicitude,” Parolin underlined. The Vatican Secretary of State remarked that it is “the simplicity and courage with which the Pope proposes the primacy of dialogue and understanding” that as sparked in many religious and political leaders “the desire to communicate with him and to get to know the actions of the Holy See and the Catholic Church worldwide better.”