14.09.06 - Pope Francis Seeks a Thaw in Relations with Mainland China
Summary:
Facing mixed signals coming from the government on the Chinese mainland regarding dealings with the Vatican, Pope Francis hopes to warm their relationship and someday establish a diplomatic representative in Beijing.
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A thaw has seemingly flourished between the People's Republic of China and the Holy See, following the nearly simultaneous accessions of Pope Francis and Xi Jinping, president of China – March 13 and March 14, 2013, respectively.
Free from any bond with past policies, Xi has re-opened the frozen channel with the Vatican by responding in written form to the well-wishes Pope Francis sent him after his election – a first for a Chinese president.
After that, for the first time China allowed a papal flight to utilize Chinese air space, for Bergoglio's visit to South Korea last month.
Not by chance, one the eve of the papal voyage, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, underscored in an interview that “the Church in China is lively and active,” and that “the Holy See is open to dialogue and only requests to be able to exercise its ministry with freedom.”
The Church in China is often described as divided, between an 'official' Church linked to the government, the Patriotic Association, and an 'underground' Church, persecuted and whose episcopal appointments are frequently not acknowledged by Chinese authorities.
In his in-flight press conference held on the return from Korea, Pope Francis mentioned his desire to visit China, affirming he would go there “even tomorrow morning,” and mentioning Benedict XVI's 2007 letter to Catholics in China, calling it a “milestone.”
The Pope’s mention was not by chance.
After the publication of the letter, there had been signs of thaw between the Holy See and Beijing, though relations have fluctuated.
Pope Francis hopes to overcome this stalemate, with a series of steps that was initiated even before the big trouble in Shanghai.
Read the original news story here:
Pope Francis pursues a thaw in relations with mainland China
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