Unification 'NOW' - Zen

The time is now for the Chinese government to move forward on normalizing relations with the Vatican and allowing full religious freedom for Catholics, said a Chinese cardinal.

In a interview with Caritas Internationalis during last week’s series meetings in Rome on the humanitarian and development needs of and the Catholic Church response of aid to China, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong said “give and take” that should be occurring between the Vatican and the Chinese government on the issue of who has the final authority for naming bishops, but “isn’t happening.”

Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations serving in 200 countries and territories, examined poverty in the nation of 1.3 billion people that has experienced unprecedented economic growth and poverty that has left 160 million living on less than $1/day (USD) and 480 million living on less than $2/day (USD).

“There are people who enjoy certain advantages in keeping the system just the way it is. They get power or money from it, so they don’t want to change. So they are creating problems,” said the cardinal, who attending the meetings that focused on problems including rural poverty, economic migration, an aging population and lack of adequate health care.

“We hope that the higher authorities recognize that it is time for change,” he said. “We hope the higher authorities will allow us to negotiate, because there is the possibility for a good solution.”

He pointed to “the Vietnamese model” of bishop appointments, whereby the Holy See presents a list of candidates for a particular episcopal opening tat the government can, before a final decision is made, offer “a political objection.”

“I think the Vietnamese model is a very good one for China,” Cardinal Zen said, adding that Chinese government officials “aren’t welcoming that model at all.”

“It is not possible for government officials to know what qualities are needed in a bishop,” he said.

The Chinese government has “procrastinated” on providing religious freedom, which has caused “so much suffering for the people,” the cardinal said.

“There is no reason to resist the normalization of ties between us,” he said. “We really don’t know what will happen.”

On the issue of normalization, he said, “all we can do is pray.”

China, he said, is facing many problems associated with economic progress.

“Although there is great progress economically, the benefits are not filtering down throughout society,” Cardinal Zen said. “There is corruption on a large scale. The gap between rich and poor is widening.”

The charitable work of Caritas in China is limited, he said, with the social services offered on a “very local” basis and “with the full agreement and usually the praise of local authorities.”

“But if your projects start becoming too big or too prominent,” the cardinal noted, the government “might start to cause problems for you, because they are afraid that you are also gaining power.”

Charity work by the Catholic Church, he said, cannot be separated from faith, but is seen as “social in nature.”

“We hope that in China one day the strictly religious activity will also be accepted,” Cardinal Zen said.

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