CHINA WATCH IN THE VATICAN
O'Grady, Desmond
FROM ROME CHINA WATCH IN THE VATICAN P'i-Shu-Shih who? The question was inevitable once it was known that Archbishop Ignatius P'i-Shu-Shih of Mukden, Fengtien and Shen-Yang and Bishop...
...The invitation to two Catholic prelates to the Peking People's Congress suggests the time scale may have to be shortened...
...He is not recognized by the Vatican whose Yeai* Book lists Ignatius Kung Pin-mei, 76, as Bishop of Shanghai, adding "imprisoned for the Faith...
...There are over 700,000 Catholics among the 22 million Chinese spread through Southeast Asia...
...In the 16 years since 1962 nothing has been heard of Archbishop P'i-Shu-Shih...
...Interestingly enough, Archbishop Giuseppe Caprio, who replaced Giovanni Benelli as Substitute Secretary of State last year, was No...
...The question was inevitable once it was known that Archbishop Ignatius P'i-Shu-Shih of Mukden, Fengtien and Shen-Yang and Bishop CiangChia-Shu of Shanghai were participating in the fifth National Peoples' Congress in Peking...
...Visitors occasionally bring reports of other Chinese priests...
...But in its dealings with the church in East Europe it has accepted some bishops who collaborated with the Communist regimes...
...The Jesuits discussed the hypothesis of the Bamboo Curtain against the church being raised by 1987...
...2 in the Vatican nunciature in Peking at the time of the Communist takeover...
...Their status would be reassessed if Vatican-China links are resumed...
...desmond o'grady...
...After expulsion from China, Caprio worked in the nunciature in Taiwan...
...The Vatican's Congregation for the Evangelization of People has a group of experts at work on the same subject...
...It is thought there could be up to 20 pre-Mao bishops still alive...
...Presumably he knows P'i-Shu-Shih who was consecrated archbishop in the same month, October 1949, that Mao came to power...
...Bishop Ciang-Chia-Shu was elected by the Association of Patriotic Catholics in 1960...
...Bishop P'i-ShuShih, however, is in interesting case...
...But the position is very obscure and the first Vatican request will be for contact with Chinese Catholics...
...Nothing much can be planned, of course, until contact is made with contemporary China and Chinese Catholics: study groups can be misleading as they are always working with out-of-date information...
...Several bishops expelled from China acknowledge ¦that there are worthy priests among those who were illegitimately but validly consecrated as bishops...
...Of course the Vatican, when better informed, must assess his behavior...
...Consecrated as archbishop in 1949 just before the break between Peking and the Vatican, in 1962 he presided at the second National Assembly of Patriotic Catholics, those who were prepared to collaborate with the regime...
...But it is expected the most effective Catholic witness will be from the Catholic overseas Chinese if they return to China as technicians and professional people...
...Nothing is known of Bishop Ciang...
...Various groups, such as the Pro Mundi Vita research center in Brussels, have been studying how to present Christianity to post-Mao China...
...There is sporadic indirect contact with some of the estimated 115 surviving Chinese Jesuit priests...
...A reliable source claims that Chinese authorities, after repeated requests, have finally agreed to discuss religious liberty in China in April with a lay Catholic who will be the Vatican's unofficial emissary...
...For five years, there has been only a Vatican charge' d'affaires in Taiwan and the new political and cultural, as well as religious, tolerance which the Chinese regime is showing suggests breaking relations with Taiwan may not be a condition for reestablishing them with Peking...
...The Jesuit superiors of the Order's Asian province met in Melbourne in January to discuss, among other things, coordinating help to these Chinese Catholics of the diaspora...
...At the time of the Communist takeover, there were over three million Chinese Catholics and about 3000 Chinese priests...
...These is widespread awareness that, if contact is reestablished, the church should avoid any "spiritual invasion of China...
...He consecrated seven bishops not recognized by the Vatican...
...In 1958, Pope John spoke of the Chinese church as "schismatic" but Pope Paul has avoided this ex14 April 1978: 228 pression and, moreover, for more than a decade has made it clear that he wants to reestablish contact with mainland China...
...It has to be more Chinese than in the past...
...But now, at 81, he represents a link with the pre-Mao church who seems acceptable both to the Chinese leaders and to the Vatican...
...Vatican relations with Taiwan are an obstacle to diplomatic contact with Peking but not, it is believed, an insurmountable one...
Vol. 105 • April 1978 • No. 8
