(Stella Maris Media) — First and foremost, the Church in China mourns the loss of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace.
Now that the pontificate of Pope Francis has come to an end, and the cardinals are preparing to gather in conclave to elect the next Holy Pontiff, I write this open letter to you – cardinal electors – with a burdened conscience and a deep sense of urgency.
This is not a letter campaigning for a specific candidate. It is a heartfelt appeal – a plea to listen to the cries of my people, who are truly suffering.
A Church in silence and suffering
Since signing the Provisional Agreement [Sino-Vatican deal] on September 18, 2018, the Church in China has been thrown into chaos and turmoil. Out of reverence for the Office of St. Peter, we have remained silent to prevent scandal among the faithful, like a lamb led to the slaughterhouse.
“He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
But just as Our Lord rose from the dead, so too must the Chinese people rise. Like the Resurrection, a new day must dawn for us. As you discern who will lead the Church in the coming years, we beg you not to forget China.
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The third millennium belongs to Asia
There are 1.47 billion Chinese people in the world – more than the entire population of Europe or the Americas. That is approximately 18 percent of the global population. Nearly one in five human beings is Chinese.
With that in mind, the next pontificate must prioritize the Church’s mission in China. As Pope St. John Paul II wrote in Ecclesia in Asia:
Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted in the soil of Europe, and in the second in the soil of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the third Christian millennium a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent.
We are the last great civilization to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Countless souls are still waiting to hear the saving message of Our Lord. We need a courageous pontiff – a shepherd willing to walk with us and help us bring Christ to our people.
The violation of subsidiarity
In Quadragesimo Anno (1931), Pope Pius XI wrote:
It is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do.
It has been six years and seven months since the 2018 Provisional Agreement was signed. During this time, many of us were never consulted – not bishops, not priests, not even senior Chinese prelates such as Cardinal Joseph Zen and Archbishop Savio Hon.
Excluding us from discussions that directly affect our Church and our lives is not only unjust but dangerous. Even today, we still do not know the full contents of this agreement. Why is an international agreement affecting millions of Chinese Catholics still secret after six years?
Silence from Rome
We need better communication with the Holy See.
How many letters from the underground Church have gone unanswered? How many urgent appeals have been ignored?
This is unacceptable. We long to live in holy obedience, but it becomes nearly impossible when communication is absent or non-existent.
READ: Catholics demand Vatican ‘reveal and repeal’ secretive China deal
As Pope Pius XII wrote in Menti Nostrae (1950):
Superiors, therefore, must not shrink from their duty of giving correction and guidance, for they will answer for the souls entrusted to them.
We are crying out for that leadership, guidance – even a word from Rome.
Rethinking Chinese diplomacy
The Vatican’s diplomatic strategy regarding China must be completely overhauled. We do not need professional diplomats or so-called “China experts” making decisions on our behalf.
Most of them barely speak our language or understand our culture. We need native Chinese voices at the negotiating table.
For several years, it has been foolish and naïve not to include faithful and experienced Chinese clergy, such as Cdl. Zen and Abp. Hon, in these discussions. Yes, they are advanced in years. But they possess wisdom and insight that the Vatican’s advisors do not.
They see the true face of the Chinese Communist Party – a face that your “experts” and prelate-tourists fail to see, blinded by political illusions and orchestrated pageantry.
Language is mission
Finally, let us be blunt: it is unacceptable that decisions about the Church in China are being made by people who cannot speak Chinese.
Why are you deciding our future if you cannot read our words or speak to us directly?
It is frustrating and demoralizing to communicate through interpreters – interpreters whose fidelity to the truth we sometimes question, and who may even be agents of the Chinese Communist Party.
If the Church wishes to serve China, She must speak our language, understand our culture, and listen to our voices.
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A turning point for the Church and China
This conclave is not only about choosing a new pope.
It is about choosing a new direction for the Church, especially for China’s future.
Will we continue to be ignored and marginalized? Or will we finally be seen, heard, and accompanied?
The Church in China is praying. Watching. Waiting. Please – do not let our suffering be in vain.
Please share widely in the hopes this reaches the cardinal-electors in Rome.
Reprinted with permission from Stella Maris Media.
