Catholics in China and Two-Fold Communion in the Church

by Fr. Roger J. Landry - July 6, 2007

Last Thursday, Pope Benedict declared the Year of St. Paul. Two days later, he took a page from the evangelical method of the famous apostle of Tarsus. Just as St. Paul used to write letters to the various churches responding to their particular local challenges and questions, so the living doctor Gentium or "teacher of the nations" wrote an open letter to the twelve million Catholics of China. And just like St. Paul's letters enunciated principles relevant far beyond the particular circumstances of the Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians or Colossians, so Pope Benedict's missive crisply enunciates truths about the nature of the Church of great help not just to the Chinese but to Catholics across the globe.

The immediate context of Benedict's letter is the practical issues faced by the Church in China. For 50 years, Catholics in China have been persecuted for practicing the faith. The persecution began in the 1950s when all foreign bishops and missionaries were expelled, almost all priests and Catholic lay leaders were imprisoned, churches were closed or destroyed and the faithful isolated. These attempts by the atheistic communist government of Mao to extirpate the Catholic faith did not succeed, and so the Chinese government created an "official" Catholic Church called the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics to try to control what they couldn't destroy. The communist government began to select manipulable priests for episcopal ordination at the hands of certain cowed and compliant bishops. These new bishops in turn ordained "patriotic" priests loyal more to the Chinese communist party than to the Pope and the magisterium. These priests in turn preached to the faithful a truncated version of the good news that was no threat to the Chinese government and the communist principles on which it was based.

Soon, Catholics in China were divided between those who worshipped in this state-run patriotic Catholic Church and those in the "underground Church" who maintained their fidelity to the successor of St. Peter and to the fullness of Catholic doctrine. Through clandestine episcopal and priestly ordinations and secret "illegal" Masses and meetings, the underground Church has survived, despite a brutal ongoing persecution by the Chinese government, which has imprisoned, tortured and killed many of the underground Church's bishops, priests, religious and lay leaders. Catholics in the underground Church — willing to suffer even death in fidelity to Christ — looked askance at the schismatic members of the patriotic Church who seemed to capitulate in the face of pressure.

Over the course of time, however, many loyal, faithful Catholics began to infiltrate the Patriotic Church, receiving ordination as priests and bishops and then secretly writing the Pope to profess their communion with him and to request a proper mandate for their ministry. They thought that such an affiliation with the government-sanctioned Church would be the most effective way, in the face of violent persecution, to keep the faith alive and continue to provide the sacraments to the Chinese faithful. The Pope, in consideration of the complex situation and desiring to promote the reestablishment of full communion, has been receiving them into communion one-by-one and giving them full and legitimate exercise of episcopal jurisdiction.

The end result was a very confusing situation for Chinese Catholics seeking to be faithful to God and to the Church he founded. In his letter, Pope Benedict tried to give guidelines to help Chinese Catholics sort through the confusion and live out their discipleship and apostolate.

He began by reminding all Catholics of what the Church really is — the sacrament of intimate union with God and the unity of the human race. There is "one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church" in China, not many. For this reason, Benedict avoided using terms to describe the "underground" and "patriotic" churches in China, speaking only of the "Catholic Church in China." At the same time, however, he added that for the Catholic Church in China to be authentically Catholic, it needs to be in communion with the Pope and the Church united with Him throughout the world. It ceases to be fully Catholic when it severs itself from communion with the successor of Peter and Catholics in other nations. In essence, Benedict was calling Catholics in China to a two-fold communion: communion with other Chinese Catholics and communion with the Pope and Catholics throughout the globe.

With regard to the first, Benedict noted that "authentic communion is not expressed without arduous efforts at reconciliation," and that this process of mutual forgiveness to heal present divisions "cannot be accomplished overnight." He reminded Chinese Catholics of the need to reflect Christ's love, which is always merciful, and exhorted especially the heroic members of the underground Church not to imitate the unholy merciless rigor of the third and fourth century Novatians and Donatists, who sought to exclude from communion those Christians who had wavered in the faith during anti-Christian persecutions. Benedict said that the love of Christians for each other will be a shining testimony for Chinese society of the true nature of the Church and a witness of the heart of the Gospel: "In your country, the proclamation of Christ crucified and risen will be possible to the extent that … you are able to put into practice the signs of love and unity."

With regard to communion with Peter and with Catholics throughout the world, Benedict reminded Chinese Catholics — and the Chinese government — that "the Petrine and episcopal ministries [united with Peter] are essential and integral elements of Catholic doctrine on the sacramental structure of the Church." A Church that purports to be "independent" of the Pope is incompatible with Catholic doctrine.

On the basis of both of these principles, Benedict gave pastoral guidance on particular questions. He said it is possible for Catholic faithful to participate in the Eucharist and other sacraments celebrated by bishops and priests in the patriotic Church provided that they are in communion with the successor of Peter; priests of the underground Church are able to concelebrate with them as well. With regard to those patriotic priests and bishops who have not are in communion with the Pope, the Pope said that when they are the only ones in a particular area, the faithful may turn to them, despite their being in schism, for the sake of their spiritual good.

At the end of the letter, Benedict announced that he is asking all Catholics in the world to pray for the Catholic Church in China and declared that he has set aside May 24th each year, the feast day of Our Lady, Help of Christians, to pray specifically for Chinese Catholics through Our Lady's intercession and the intercession of the "countless holy martyrs of China."

During this week in which we celebrate the freedoms we have as Americans, particularly our religious freedom, let us anticipate next May 24th, and pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters — and for all those who are persecuting them.

Father Roger J. Landry is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, MA and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.