China on Saturday defended the ordination of Catholic bishops by
Chinese believers while lashing out at Vatican, saying the latter's
criticism on China in this regard "makes no sense."
"The Chinese government had recently informed the Vatican about
ordaining bishops in some Chinese dioceses but received no
straightforward responses from the latter," said a spokesman for
the State Administration of Religious Affairs.
"On the contrary, the Vatican made unfounded charges after the
successful ordination, a move that ran against the remarks of the
Vatican hoping to improve its relationship with China," he
noted.
On Thursday, the Vatican's spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls
accused China of ordaining two Catholic bishops in the country and
threatened to punish the bishops ordained and the believers who
participated in the process.
"The remark by Navarro-Valls makes no sense," the Chinese
spokesman said, noting that the selection and ordination of bishops
by the Catholic churches in China had lasted for half a
century.
"The selection and ordination of bishops in China are a need of
Chinese Catholic churches to conduct normal church activities," he
said.
China now has 97 dioceses, but more than 40 of them do not have
bishops. In addition, most bishops are old. "The churches could not
exist without bishops," the spokesman said.
The development of Catholicism in China called for the
self-selection and ordination of bishops, he said, citing an
incident in 1958. In that year, a list of bishop nominees from some
Chinese dioceses was submitted to the Vatican, which not only
rejected the list but also threatened to mete out "extraordinary
punishment."
"The move deeply hurt Chinese believers and forced the Chinese
Catholic churches to set off for a road of selecting and ordaining
their own bishops," the Chinese spokesman said.
Over the past decades, Chinese Catholic churches have selected
and ordained more than 170 bishops, who have made historic
contributions to the gospel spreading in China, he said.
Official statistics show that there are more than 5 million
Catholic believers in China. The figure was 2.7 million half a
century ago.
Also on Saturday, the Catholic Patriotic Association of China
and Chinese Catholic Bishops College issued a statement, saying
that the selection and ordination of bishops fully reflected the
wish of priests and believers and strictly followed Catholic
traditions.
"Those bishops have solid faith and moral integrity," the
statement said. "They are outstanding in theological achievement,
personal morality and work capability. They have won extensive
support and love from priests and believers."
The Church said it would continue to stick to the principle of
independence and self-management when handling internal church
affairs. "We will go ahead to spread the words of the Christ, serve
the society and the people, and glorify God."
The Chinese Catholic Church also expressed the hope for earlier
improvement of the relationship between China and the Vatican. "We
will pray for it."
Differences remain between China and the Vatican on the
ordinance of bishops. The Chinese government has proposed to the
Vatican on putting aside the differences in a practical manner,
said the spokesman for the State Administration of Religious
Affairs.
"The Chinese government is sincere in improving ties with the
Vatican and has made unremitting efforts in this regard," he
said.
China is willing to have a candid and constructive dialogue with
the Vatican, he said.
"We hope the Vatican stops interfering in China's internal
affairs, respects the common wish of Chinese Catholic churches and
believers, and sets no more obstacles which affect China-Vatican
relations," the spokesman said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2006)