China’s Church Divided tells the story of the fraught relationship between the Chinese Catholic Church, the Vatican, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), focusing on the post-Mao reform era that began in the late 1970s.
It seems fair to say that the road ahead will remain challenging for Catholic Christians in China, especially for those who are staying faithful to the pope.
Looking back, Liu sees his Catholic journey as a shift away from a faith centered on outcomes toward one centered on God himself.
Francis assured China’s Catholics that he prayed for them daily, and made decisions, even those felt as painful by China’s faithful, after "much time [spent in] reflection and prayer, seeking the true good of the Church in China."
The Christian life is lived in real, concrete situations: the union of the transcendent and the immanent, flesh and spirit. The “secret” to navigating this world successfully, as Wu says, is our “union with him,” and with his people.
I planned on pursuing a degree in International Relations and wanted to work for the US Foreign Service or maybe serve at a consulate in China, until something changed my path completely: I was personally called to serve God. I had what I could only describe as a personal revelation, where Christ came to me and asked me to serve him, causing me to immediately switch my major focus from International Relations to Theology.
As someone who has been involved with China for over 60 years, I’ve witnessed the shifts in Sino-Catholic relations, from the closed society of the Mao era to the cautious engagements of today. This Quarterly issue is especially significant, addressing both longstanding and emerging challenges faced by Catholics in China amidst ongoing socio-political pressures.
We hope you will see that Chinese Catholics live with a strong awareness of Our Lord Jesus’s presence with them amidst many challenges, that they live in hope in exceedingly challenging times, and they remain faithful to him in ways that can inspire us all.
China’s Catholics continue to endure their present circumstances, attending services, meeting in their homes for private prayer and study, and supporting one another in their Christian faith.
Perhaps Wu’s important message for Christians (and perhaps former Christians, or “nones”) in the West, is that we need to recover to the experience of joy that follows from interior harmony, as was known by Christian mystics.
Chinese Catholics are called to witness to their fellow citizens that they are Christians and good citizens, like all others, working for the common good of the whole country and in keeping with their own culture.
Will this problematic Agreement be abandoned or renewed on better terms for the Catholic side? Can the Vatican achieve better results in dealing with China with the assistance of its new bridging figures?