Is China sabotaging its own talks with the Vatican?

It sure looks that way to me, and you have to wonder what their strategy is

The head of Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic church says the Vatican must halt talks with China because of its appointment of bishops without Vatican consent.

“The dialogue cannot continue, because people will think we are prepared to surrender,” Cardinal Joseph Zen told the South China Morning Post. His comments come just days after state-sanctioned clerics in the Chinese city of Kunming ordained a new bishop.

The Vatican had asked for the ceremony to be delayed, to assess the candidate. Another bishop is set to be appointed without Vatican approval in Fujian in the coming days. A Roman Catholic congregation in Beijing
China’s Roman Catholic church has about 10 million members

The Chinese Church does not recognise the Vatican’s power to appoint bishops, causing disagreement between the two sides. But until recently, most appointments had been approved by both parties, easing tensions. The Vatican would soon issue a “very strong reaction to underline the seriousness of the matter,” Cardinal Zen told the newspaper, which is based in Hong Kong.

“We cannot budge. When you brutally place such a fait accompli, how can you call this dialogue? This totally runs against the spirit of dialogue,” he said.

Zen is right. It looked like some real progress was being made, and China seemed poised to reap a public relations windfall with its new-found toleration and open-mindedness. After making such good progress, what’s the point of throwing a monkey wrench into the machinery? If they keep it up, soon they’ll be back to square one.

The Discussion: 11 Comments

Why would China want a religion that preaches against the use of contraceptives and modern disease prevention methods to have any kind of voice or power in China?

The Cathlic Church is worse than the Communist Party. Stay out from China!

Zero tolerance for Catholic and Muslim medieval beliefs! Stay out

May 2, 2006 @ 3:24 am | Comment

http://simonworld.mu.nu/archives/174641.php

Papa don’t preach

May 2, 2006 @ 4:35 am | Comment

(sniff…sniff….)

Fee, fie, fo, fum!
I smell a troll:
Is he Au-stra-lian?

May 2, 2006 @ 6:15 am | Comment

The strategy is “withdraw after learning of the difficulties”.

The only benefit they see of having a normal relationship with Vatican is to isolate Taiwan.

For the moment, that benefit is not big enough for them to risk having another authority established in China.

So, don’t take it serious when they say they want a relationship with Vatican as long as ….

While I don’t like this Joseph Zen, he has the point here given any more talks will prove fruitless, just like talks between ccp and dalai.

May 2, 2006 @ 6:20 am | Comment

Something particularly distateful about an organisation that claims to speak for the Almighty and then proceed to act in such a faithless manner to apease an atheist regime. I’m not speaking about Google here.

May 2, 2006 @ 6:46 am | Comment

It’s just so …. China. They negotiate, but the negotiations consist of — do what we want or forget it! The signal they are sending is pretty damn clear: we run the show!

Of course, that’s exactly how the Catholics run things, so I am sure that the message will be sent and received. Both sides consist of similar authority systems, after all, with not much difference between them, except that Communists have more sex.

May 2, 2006 @ 7:48 am | Comment

“except that Communists have more sex”

How come you know that?

May 2, 2006 @ 7:52 am | Comment

Does anyone know much about this Joseph Zen? If memory serves, this is not the first time he’s “told the SCMP” something. Previously it was that the Vatican would drop relations with Taiwan for China. He seems to have a way of insinuating himself into diplomacy politics…at least with the SCMP.

May 2, 2006 @ 8:23 am | Comment

Depends on what type of s_x MT is talking about, he might well be wrong. 🙂 esp regaridng children boys.

May 2, 2006 @ 11:16 am | Comment

“that’s exactly how the Catholics run things…”

Um, no. Michael, what century are you living in?
It might have been true in year 1215, but these days, the only place in the world where Catholics “run things” is Vatican City. Everywhere else – literally in every country in the world (except for Vatican City) – everyone is free to disregard the Catholic Church if they choose to. The same is not true of the CCP.

May 2, 2006 @ 12:35 pm | Comment

“except that Communists have more sex”
How come you know that?

Just a guess. 🙂

Um, no. Michael, what century are you living in?
It might have been true in year 1215, but these days, the only place in the world where Catholics “run things” is Vatican City. Everywhere else – literally in every country in the world (except for Vatican City) – everyone is free to disregard the Catholic Church if they choose to. The same is not true of the CCP.

The Church as an institution is run pretty much the same way that the Party is run as an institution. Naturally they have different levels of temporal power.

Michael

May 3, 2006 @ 6:33 am | Comment

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