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ROME – Responding to the confusion over its deal with the Chinese government, Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Chinese Catholics to trust his decision to unify Roman Catholic and state churches, assuring his often persecuted flock that he appreciated their sacrifices represented a "land of great opportunities" for the church.
Under the agreement announced Saturday, a historic breakthrough after 70 years of icy relations between the Vatican and Beijing, the pope acknowledged the legitimacy of seven bishops appointed by the Chinese government and lifted an order to excommunicate them. Through three pontificates, the Church had tried to reach an agreement with China, but the fate of these seven bishops and the question of who would appoint new bishops in the country were impassable obstacles.
There were few details about the deal at Saturday's announcement, fueling questions about the autonomy that Francis had shown to set up in China, the most populous country in the world, where Protestantism is more and more widespread. This lack of clarity prompted Francis to write a long letter, published Wednesday, to the 10 to 12 million Catholics in China.
In the letter, he acknowledged "some confusion" about the deal, but did not disclose any new details. Instead, invoking his title of successor to Peter, he asked Chinese Catholics to "place your trust more and more firmly in the Lord of history and in the discernment of the Church in relation to His will" .
Francis wrote that in bringing back the seven bishops excommunicated in full communion with Rome, "I ask them to express with concrete and visible gestures their restored unity" with the Church and "to remain faithful despite all the difficulties.
This demand amounts to asserting his authority, but it is still unclear whether Francis will himself choose new bishops, choose from the candidates chosen by the Chinese government or will have a veto over a field of candidates that he would deem unworthy. On his return from Estonia to Rome on Tuesday night, the pope said the government would not name the bishops.
"It's a dialogue," he said in the plane. "But the pope will name them, let it be clear."
In this letter, the Pope added that he expected the "good candidates" for the bishop to be Catholic pastors and not mere government apparatchiks. "It is not a question of appointing officials in charge of religious matters, but of finding genuine shepherds," he wrote.
But the Pope added that the interim agreement, which he described as "necessarily amenable to improvement", was only an "instrument" of cooperation and that it would not be useful without a deep commitment to do so. operate on both sides. To this end, in part of the letter addressed to Chinese leaders, who had for decades been persecuting Catholic bishops and other religious minorities, often assigning them to residence or worse, Pope Francis seemed to insist on respect for his flock.
"A new style of direct daily cooperation must be developed," he wrote, "between local authorities and church authorities – bishops, priests and elders of the community – to ensure that pastoral activities proceed in an orderly manner. the faithful and the decisions of the competent authorities. "
He also affirmed the right of Chinese Catholics to denounce the government. They must be good citizens, he writes, but to be good Christians, we must emphasize injustice.
"Sometimes it can also require critical efforts, not sterile opposition, but to build a more just, humane and respectful society," he said. wrote.
He added that he wanted the Catholics "to encourage the integral development of society by ensuring greater respect for the human person, including in the religious sphere." He forgave the bishops who had broken the communion with the Church "and undue pressure. "
Francis pointed out that he recognized the sacrifices of Catholics who worshiped in underground churches, risking persecution and understood dissatisfaction with the agreement with the government.
"Some feel doubt and perplexity, while others feel abandoned by the Holy See," he wrote, recognizing "the gift of your faithfulness, your constancy in the trials".
The announcement of the Vatican's breakthrough with China led critics, including church prelates, to accuse Francis of selling members of his flock who had suffered for the church. Francis argued that Catholics out of China now had "an important duty: to accompany our brothers and sisters to China" and recalled the example of Abraham, called by God to leave for an unknown country to receive his heritage.
"If Abraham had demanded ideal social and political conditions before leaving his land, he might never have left the country," the pope wrote, adding that "it is not the historical changes that have trusted him. ; it is rather his pure faith that has brought about a change in history.
