Pope Francis may make Catholic Church history by being the first pontiff to visit the communist country in Asia. He said on Sunday that he would want to visit China if he is invited by Beijing.
However, while Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said that China’s position on its relationship with the Vatican is consistent and clear, and Beijing is since in improving relations with the Holy See. But Hua’s reply to the question if China would invite the pope to visit the country was: “There is a smooth and effective line of communication between the two sides. We would like to work with the Vatican to strive for new progress in constructive dialogues and improvement in relations between the two sides.”
Liaison Committee
Although China had officially cut ties with the Vatican since 1951, for several years now there is a committee that works between Beijing and the Vatican whose representatives meet every three months. Although Chinese academics note there is some satisfaction in the talks and the two sides are willing to continue, the actual process of negotiations between the two sides is difficult to forecast, Yan Kejjia, director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said.
Four Issues
Yan Kejia cited four issues that need to be resolved. These are bishop appointment, recognition of the Chinese Catholic Church development after 1949, self-selection and self-ordination of bishops. Wang Meixiu, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the appointment of new bishops in the future should first be settled by the two side so there would be no more new conflicts which could potentially damage China’s image.
In December, at a meeting of China’s official Catholic Church, Wang Zuo’an, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said Beijing is willing to have constructive dialogue with the Vatican, but he insisted that Catholics should “hold up high the flag of patriotism,” Xinhua News Agency reported.